I Know Better Than You

It goes like this...(generic ‘you’ & ‘me’)

Me: You don’t know what you’re talking about. You never do.
You: You’re doing it again. You never think I know what I’m talking about, but you’re always wrong. I’ve just come to live with having to ignore your opinion.
Me: Nobody thinks like that anymore. You need to come along with the times. You’re old fashioned.
You: You’re being racist. You can’t say that.
Me: You are!
You: No, YOU ARE!
Me: NO...Y O U  A R E!!!!

And so the raging argument continues without any resolution, not because ‘you’ and ‘me’ don’t love each other, but because they aren’t listening. When it comes to issues that are close to our hearts, and most especially religion and politics, most people can’t seem to listen to other opinions. It isn’t because they are being mean. It’s because they already insist they know better. Consider today’s Gospel Reading

Luke 14:1-11 (RSV) - At that time, one sabbath when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?" But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go. And he said to them, "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?" And they could not reply to this. Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

The only way we can resolve our conflicts is to be humble and that means to accept that maybe, just maybe, that means we might be wrong. It is completely arrogant to believe you are always right, and yet most of us live in that world. We are always right, and we always know better than everyone else. So today as the political debate rages on, consider how you are adding fuel to the fire. Step back and allow someone to “Say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher,’ then you will be honored.’” But until then remember you don’t REALLY always know better.