Lack of Respect

There are a multitude of social issues we face today and it is difficult to identify the most critical one. I personally believe that many social issues are symptoms of a more fundamental issue, namely lack of respect for others.

Jesus commanded us to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This implies that we see others equal in dignity to ourselves in the eyes of God. This is true whether the person be a stranger, recent immigrant, friend or a foe. Many of our symptomatic issues will go away when we deal with this greater underlying issue.

Respecting others as equal in dignity to ourselves means that we have compassion for them in their distress, empathy for them in their suffering, solidarity with them in their struggles, and defend their inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as we would our own.