Us or Them? (which are you?)

As a kid I guess I got damaged a bit by the fact that I was often the “last picked” when it came to choosing for teams.   Physically I was a little smaller than my peers and even though I was well liked, I was not thought to be as asset when it came to performing physically! 

 

I took up surfing and skateboarding where individually I was not judged or required to do a small part of a larger contingency!   Perhaps that is why I rarely watch team sports!

Growing up from time to time I would attend Catholic Church with one of my friends and found it odd that I was not allowed to take communion due to the fact that I was not Catholic.  It made me feel that I was a “bit lesser” of a person due to the fact that I was not a part of them!

I was quite active in my own church that was Presbyterian; however it was still quite clear there was a “in or out” feeling that was demonstrated if a person showed up that was not quite “like us.” 

  

Years ago I was watching a remake of the movie Flight of the Phoenix; a discussion came up about religion and one of the cast simply stated that he would not be involved in something where as he described it as an “Us and Them” characteristic.

It was though someone anointed me with one more nugget of wisdom.  Since that time I do my best to keep my eyes open and not to exercise this modality of being! 

Leading a fraternal organization allows me to notice when this rears its ugly head.  Early on I was told to beware of letting “any one” in as it would result in reputations being damaged and poor membership dynamics.

I’m proud to say that’s not “how we roll!” 

I cherish the lessons I have learned over the years and do my best to learn something new when situations appear that at first might feel awkward.

Every time I hear about a “them” I ponder why are they not a part of “us”

Enjoy your day!    

NobleOne