Exodus 20:16
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour.
My neighbor needs me. Nope, I don’t live in a commune or some other
kind of cooperative. I live in a house
on over an acre of land, which abuts four other properties, with a house across
the road. Though this sounds congested,
the trees bordering the property make my home private, and the road is quiet
and peaceful. I can go days without even
glimpsing sight of any of my neighbors. The
town picks up our garbage and plows our road and there isn’t even a sidewalk or
common mailbox space to keep clean together, or shared fences to maintain. And, yet, I profess that my neighbors need
me. Why?
My neighbors need me to be honest. They need me to not accuse them of things
that they haven’t done, like stealing my Wi-Fi or trashing my yard. They need me to not call the police to their doors
for some contrived reason or blame the litter in the road on them, even though I
know they didn’t do it. They need to be
able to trust me because we live on the same spot of earth, sharing lawn and
trees and air and road. Keeping this in
mind, I see that everyone is my neighbor, for we all live on the same earth,
sharing flora and fauna, sun and air and water.
My fellow human beings need to be able to trust me, for our common
Creator has entrusted me with my own unique space in one particular slot of
time. What I do with that space in that
time has consequences on everyone around me, near and far, as a pebble dropped
into the center of a pool causes ripples that stretch out to the shore. Those nearest me feel the effects soonest and
most strongly, but even the ever decreasing waves can be felt in further places
and more distant times.
This is not merely a call to better ecological
awareness and to actively reducing my carbon footprint on the planet. No, this is about the fullness of the
truth. (For I don’t want anything less
than fullness of life.) And the full
truth is that I affect people by simply passing by them in the mall or on a
sidewalk in the city. My presence beside
someone in a restaurant or a church pew can have an influence on that person’s
day – and, yes, even on that person’s life.
A miserable demeanor or attitude can be contagious and set people out
with a bad feeling, though they might not even know why, and cause them to fall
into meanness themselves. Thankfully, a
joyful demeanor or attitude can likewise be contagious and set sensitive people
out with a positive outlook, spreading good feelings and actions. This isn’t overstating anything. We humans are sensitive creatures and we pick
up signs and stimulations from the others around us as naturally as we absorb
nutrients and toxins from food.
My neighbor needs me to testify to the truth.
Perhaps, I feel this reality more acutely because I
am so very noticeable among others in a crowd.
I am never the person who blends into the background causing no reaction
whatsoever. Not only am I in a
wheelchair, which is different than most people, but I am also crumpled in that
chair by severe scoliosis that causes my head to rest sideways on my left
shoulder/hunchback. Not a pretty
picture, I know. I may be the most
deformed person that some people will ever see in person. And if I were a negative type of person,
wholly self-centered, living a “woe is me” existence, then the people whose
eyes inevitably fall upon me would have a sense of miserable sadness and that melancholy
would stick with them for the next few minutes, or even hours or days, of their
lives, affecting their thoughts, words, and even actions. Happily, I am naturally a positive type of
person (though sometimes self-centered) and I live a grateful and joyful life,
loved and loving. I know for a fact that
strangers who just look at me can feel uplifted somehow, having more optimism
and appreciation for the goodness and beauty of life than they had a moment
before. To share one story:
One day, after Mass, a man, who was just visiting
our parish and saw me for the first time as I sat across from him, came over
and told me that my smile was exactly what he needed that day. He said that he was going through a rough
time and feeling low, but seeing me all crumpled and crippled, obviously
intelligent enough to know how bad a shape I was in – and, yet, genuinely
smiling, genuinely taking in everything around me with appreciation and
gladness – this, he told me, was like a wake-up call for him. My presence snapped him out of a funk and
reminded him that life is inherently good and beautiful and that he had many
blessings for which to be grateful.
It seems to me that the effect we have on others is
stronger if we are people of faith because our presence is deeply rooted in
Presence, and our joy is more than just a passing smile. Perhaps, also, the effect is felt most
strongly on people who are struggling with faith. To whom much is given, much is expected. As a believer, I believe fully and deeply in
the goodness of God and God’s Creation – I have utter faith in the goodness of being
itself. Through Christ, I have an eternal
perspective and know that all works out for the good through God – my hope is
in divine and endless mercy and, so, is never squashed. And, knowing that I am infinitely and
particularly loved, I am free to give love, and loving kindness, to everyone
around me. I know the truth and the
truth has set me free. If what I were to
portray and give out to the people around me was doom, gloom and meanness, then
I would, in effect, be bearing false witness to life itself. Sure, I may honestly be feeling like crap one
day – but, knowing that it is just one day and having deep faith, hope, and
love in and for life and the joy of goodness, for me to lead other people into
misery and melancholy would be a deceitful act on my part. My neighbor needs me to testify to the beauty
and goodness and joy of life itself – crippled and crumpled as its forms may be
– and to the power of love. For that is
the fullness of truth.
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