We must seek to understand instead of judging, blaming

Editor,

It seems to me that far too many human beings have stopped being aware that we are imperfect and thus subject to saying and doing things, at times, that are not consistent with our basic characters.

We have begun trying to use the “little slips” other people make as indicators that they are deceitful liars with hidden agendas.
As an example of this behavior, which, from my perspective, is of benefit to no one, there was Rush Limbaugh’s recent negative verbal attack directed at Michelle Obama because she was seen eating some ribs at a restaurant.

It seems like Limbaugh was using this small incident to indicate that Michelle Obama is not serious about improving people’s health in this country by informing them of what are and are not healthy eating practices.

It is my opinion that we would all be better off, and that our country would be a better place to live in, if we would begin “cutting each other some slack” instead of trying to make ourselves look superior to other people because they say or do something that can be interpreted as a “little slip.”

By this, I do not mean that we should ignore the “little slips” that people make. What I am proposing is that we simply ask someone we observe making what we perceive as a “little slip” if he or she is aware of what he or she said or did and how that looks to other people.

Experience has taught me that this often results in dialogue that is more productive than an attempt to make oneself look better than other people.

When we are honest, we are able to admit that we are not perfect either and are in need of other people making us aware when we “slip up.”

Robert Gardiner
Community member