And Then There Were None

Instant connection and instantaneous communication has revolutionized this world, but I wonder if we will ever catch up to the technology we have created?  When we had to write and rewrite our correspondence we had a chance to think about what we were saying.  We could, if we cared to, find just the right word, just the right texture, and just the right phrasing to carry our message.  Even then, we often got it wrong.  

I am reminded here of an old joke about a young man with two girl friends.  He sits down and pours out his heart and soul to each, explaining how he would spend all his life with them.  He finishes his letters, sees the postman approaching and quickly addresses them and sends them in the mail.  A few weeks pass, and he receives his replies.  “Lovely letter, but I am not Julia.  I don’t ever expect to see you again, signed Francine.”  “Who is Francine?  I hope you two will be happy, now get lost!  Julia.”

It seems I am bombarded on a daily basis with the condemnations and defenses for those who have communicated without thinking.  I wonder what higher purpose all this serves?  It is almost as if we are at the Colosseum in Rome, just waiting for the Christians to be fed to the lions, or for the gladiators to take the field to hack away at each other until only one remains standing. 

Whether you believe in the divinity of Christ or not, there are important lessons you should take away from his teachings, one of the most relevant regards forgiveness, and is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 8.  While teaching at Temple, the Pharisees brought a young woman accused of adultery to him.  They challenged him with the law, as given by Moses, that she should be stoned.  When asked what Jesus thought should be done he said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her… and when they heard it, being convicted of their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the eldest, even onto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” (KJV).  We should not spend our time playing the role of a Pharisee, I think we would all be better off if we just quietly forgive and moved on.