The Year of the Other

I’m glad 2017 is behind us. If my Facebook and Twitter feeds are to be considered, it was a year of hate and scaremongering. It seems everyone’s worldview is right, except for mine. I think if I were to take any of the shared news posts at face value, without applying a little bit of salt, I would be left thinking that everyone is a liar or dimwit, and the ONLY people who hold the truth are the Conservative, no wait, the Liberals, no wait - it must be everyone else but me!

A world where no one is right and everyone is wrong is the byproduct of our cultural rejection of any sense of otherness. There can be no sense of authority outside of ourselves. When our human rights become only about what is right for me (and the rule is that I get to set my own standards of what is right for me and no one else) then we are going to be left with a world of hate because NO ONE ELSE IS LIKE ME! Or you for that matter. And try as we may, protest as we might, we are not going to turn others into people like us - because they are not us! They are other.

For the last several years I’ve been reading a Proverb a day from the Bible. This ancient book of wisdom has given me tremendous insight into myself, life, and others. I think this has happened in part because I’ve humbled myself (read: held lightly my preconceived and/or ingrained notions about life) and have entertained the notion that someone else might actually be right about something; that they may see the world differently than I do and that that doesn’t necessarily make them wrong. So it is on this first day of January that I read again Proverb Chapter 1. This time I get stuck on the first seven verses. These seven verses are about opening ourselves up to ‘the other’. In this context, it is the Proverb written by King Solomon. But before reflecting further on any of these verses I have to start with my reflections on verse 7. This verse is the impetus behind this post.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The only way the Proverbs (or any book, writing, or person) is going to have any impact on us is if we choose to acknowledge that there is an Other. There is far more to life than our own limited set of experiences. Most of us surround ourselves with people like ourselves and so our experiences are reinforced and ingrained. There is nothing particularly wrong with this - unless you are completely isolated from difference. The “fear of the LORD” isn’t just about being scared or petrified. It has a lot more to do with respect and honour. In essence, knowledge begins when we honour and respect the fact that the Other exists outside of myself and my experiences. This respect and honour is contrasted with disrespect and dishonour - “fools despise wisdom and instruction.” My interpretation of this line is this: those that completely reject or ridicule those that are, or that hold views that are, different from oneself without giving consideration, respect, and honour to the other - not only look foolish, but are in fact fools for so doing. This is probably where the fool would stop reading so I dare you to continue. :)

The first seven verses speak of the reader receiving instruction (v.2) and understanding (v.2). This is referring to understanding about oneself, but also about others. In verse 3 the reader receives “instruction in wise dealing” which includes a sound understanding of ‘righteousness, justice, and equity.” For me, ‘righteousness’ is about what is right, not who is right; “justice” is about fairness which is rooted in what is right; and “equity” is about seeing and understanding the value of the other.

Here I have to state I don’t personally have an interest in conversations about equality. I think no matter how much we focus on equality, or how much we protest about inequality, none of it will ultimately make any difference. Why? Because we are all different. Even those of us who are the same, are different. I think our time and energy would be much better spent focusing on the “equity” in each person. Everyone has value. Whether we see it or not is something we each need to consider. Everyone of us can and should make a contribution to their family, friends, professions, and communities. Here, another Proverb provides some guidance, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out” (Pr 25:2). These contributions usually don’t look like what we think they should. In fact, it can take a lot of work to uncover this equity in others. For instance, instead of saying, “that person should get a job!” we should shift our focus to, “I wonder what value that person could add, and what might I do to help them uncover that value.” In his book, “The Wisdom of Finance”, Mihir Desai writes:

“Finance cautions against attributing outcomes to efforts and skills in a simplistic way. Luck is a dominant and underappreciated part of life and performance. The lessons of finance is one of humility… The harshest aspects of the parable of the talents - and the worldview of many practitioners of finance - can usefully be tempered with humility, generosity towards others, and a keen appreciation for the force of luck in life.” (The Wisdom of Finance, Desai, p. 74).

It is far too easy for us to attribute our success solely to our own efforts and discount the part that luck in our own circumstances.

When reading these seven verses carefully one will see that wisdom is applied to different people in different stages of life. Prudence is given to the simple (v.4) and knowledge and discretion to young people (v.4). The wise increase their learning (v.5) and the one with understanding find guidance (v.5). No matter what our status in life or what levels of accomplishment we have obtained, there is always, always, room for giving consideration to the other.

And so for me, 2018 is going to be the Year of the Other. Let’s park the hate and give a bit more time and space to explore the ‘equity’ in each other. Who knows, maybe with a little humility and kindness towards others, we might find ourselves a little bit wiser come this time next year.