I remember from way back year 2000/1 when I signed up for the Accounting Technician Scheme classes in my Country. One of the modules I had to write was Business Law. And I can almost picture my lecturer standing in front of the class in his suit asking "who is my neighbour?". The definition he gave us was : Your neighbour is anyone affected by your actions. And may I add "your inaction"
These days, we are all so busy with our lives; jobs, businesses, children, husbands, academics, that we barely notice what is going on in the other person's life. 'Everyone is busy' is mostly the excuse for our inaction and nonchalant attitude towards the next person. And that's a fact; everyone is busy but I think it's not too much to take a break from our busy lives once in a while to be a blessing to the next person. Most of us don't even say hello to our next-door neighbour. How would we know if something went terribly wrong with the person and we needed to call an ambulance to save his or her life if we cared less?
It's important to note that it's not only our actions that hurt; our refusal to act or negligence can equally hurt deeply. You can imagine a situation in which the response of a witness to a crime scene could either make or mar the life of the accused. A refusal of the witness to speak in that situation can have grave consequences on the defendant.
So I urge us today to act, to show love, to speak up! It is popularly said that "silence means consent". If you are silent about what you should have spoken against or people you should have spoken for, it means you agree to the situation. Of course, when dealing with such issues and people in general, wisdom is to be applied.
I'll leave you with the admonition of Jesus : Love your neighbour as yourself. Mark 12:31
These days, we are all so busy with our lives; jobs, businesses, children, husbands, academics, that we barely notice what is going on in the other person's life. 'Everyone is busy' is mostly the excuse for our inaction and nonchalant attitude towards the next person. And that's a fact; everyone is busy but I think it's not too much to take a break from our busy lives once in a while to be a blessing to the next person. Most of us don't even say hello to our next-door neighbour. How would we know if something went terribly wrong with the person and we needed to call an ambulance to save his or her life if we cared less?
It's important to note that it's not only our actions that hurt; our refusal to act or negligence can equally hurt deeply. You can imagine a situation in which the response of a witness to a crime scene could either make or mar the life of the accused. A refusal of the witness to speak in that situation can have grave consequences on the defendant.
So I urge us today to act, to show love, to speak up! It is popularly said that "silence means consent". If you are silent about what you should have spoken against or people you should have spoken for, it means you agree to the situation. Of course, when dealing with such issues and people in general, wisdom is to be applied.
I'll leave you with the admonition of Jesus : Love your neighbour as yourself. Mark 12:31
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