Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson
Some thoughts on PLU
We all need and appreciate PLU. (That’s “People like Us” by the way.) We surround ourselves with others who see the world through the same lens that we use. have the same fundamental beliefs that we hold, and enjoy many of the same things that we appreciate.
However, having too many People like Us around us can cause stagnation, block growth and even make our lives a little boring. After all, why should we do things or think things in a different way if everyone else is just like us? Why grow in new directions, if all our friends are staying as they are? Why risk change if we have found stability?
We need PUU—People unlike us—because without them we tend to become smug and lazy in the false belief that everything is perfect as it is, overlooking faults and weaknesses; we tend to close our minds to what is new and perhaps helpful, because of our mindset that none of our ideas or habits are wrong, and we do tend to find life fundamentally boring, as we stick to the same shores, not setting out into the adventures of learning.
PUU add spice to our lives. They ask the necessary, unexpected questions with which we must struggle. They challenge us to justify what we so easily accept, and to stretch ourselves into new places to discover and enjoy unexpected wonders.
Let go out and greet some PUU today.
Grant
A Prayer
Living Spirit in the mist of life, keep me open today to looking where I do not usually look, to exploring where I do not usually explore and to questioning what I do not usually question.
When something unexpected happens, may I not see this as a calamity, but as a moment in which to act in a different way. When challenging questions are asked, let me be open and honest in my response, rather than just trying to cover up my lack of knowledge. When the unexpected happens, may I be ever willing to seek new solutions and take new paths.
Spirit, be present in me as one open to wonder, open to wisdom, open to the vast variety and power found in life.
Amen.