The rare birds of our times

Respect for the other is a fundamental virtue. One must have respect for people who think and act differently. It is, in fact, fascinating that people differ so radically from one another.

It is because people are so different that some of the most important changes in the history of our world took place. Because people differ from each other, great strides were made in the history of humanity.

In this regard, we should learn from the past. There are many examples of highly idiosyncratic individuals who stood out from the normal crowds. They were the rare birds of their times. They did not accept the norms and values of the societies in which they lived. They thought very differently than others.

Because of this they were punished, persecuted and even killed.

And often the church was leading the killing mob.

If Galileo simply accepted the “truth” of the church and succumbed to its threats and monolithic abuse of power, we would not have had the Copernican revolution with all the wonderful advantages of our technological age.

And if Luther was defeated by those who hated him so much that they wanted to kill him, if he did not remain true to his deepest inner feelings, we would most probably still burn witches today.

The reformation contributed to the enlightenment of society, educated the masses and questioned authoritarian thinking.

And although Luther was very human, very fallible, even violent in language and behaviour, he set in motion a revolution that would change the face of the world.

Most importantly, the monk from Germany was a brave and fearless fighter for his inner convictions. In this, he sets an example and shows later generations how important it is to test and heed the prophets.

If his voice and the voice of Galileo had been silenced....

It is not merely a matter of tolerating the others who differ from us. It is also a matter of learning from them with interest: let us listen to those who speak differently, strangely, unusually. May they not be speaking truths prophetically?

One may even take this further: let us remind ourselves of the prophets or Hebrew Scriptures who were killed for their truths.

Or, let us reflect on the life of that unique, strange, rare, unusual Jewish bachelor from the silly little town of Nazareth who found out, two millenia ago, how dangerous it was to take on the big shots of his time, those very religious authorities and fathers of the people in Jerusalem.

If we do, we may just be and get closer to the truth...

We are then driven by our love for the deeper insights, the divine truth that comes to us over many years in different ways and through the strange lives of the rare birds of our times. To have respect for the other, to heed the prophets, is an indication of our love for God who wants to keep reforming us and brings us in a closer relationship with the divine.