{"id":2060,"date":"2012-09-22T19:09:13","date_gmt":"2012-09-22T23:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/umpteenhorizons.org\/wordpress\/?p=2060"},"modified":"2012-09-22T19:09:13","modified_gmt":"2012-09-22T23:09:13","slug":"the-farbors-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/umpteenhorizons.org\/wordpress\/2012\/09\/22\/the-farbors-way\/","title":{"rendered":"The Farbor\u2019s Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Let\u2019s<\/a><\/dt>\n
A new world beckons – can we make the journey together? Photograph by Wikimedia user, Palosirkka, Denali National Park and Preserve, September 8, 2012.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

\u201cLove your neighbor as yourself!\u201d But every rule has exceptions! Who is our neighbor anyway? Why must we, with all our good work, love the conservative who stands in the way of our progress? Or why must we, with all our good work, love the liberal who wants to tear down our values? Don\u2019t forget the time when they lied about us and did us wrong! They don\u2019t deserve our respect!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019re usually not so blunt. We\u2019re smooth talkers, like the lawyer who asked Jesus, \u201cWho is my neighbor?\u201d But the lawyer\u2019s heart was inflamed. He hoped to inflame his audience and maybe even the teacher too. The fiery storm in his heart sought \u201cclarification\u201d about neighbors and enemies.<\/p>\n

Jesus could have fed the flames. He could have narrowed the call to love. Or he could have engaged the lawyer in a righteous argument. But Jesus was good at calming storms, and he calmed this one by trusting us with a story about a traveler who is mugged, robbed, and left for dead. Some respectable folks come along but they simply walk by. Finally, another traveler comes. He\u2019s a farbor from another land and background, not a neighbor at all. In fact, he\u2019s an enemy of the respectable folks who walked away. But this traveler sees the man\u2019s needs, cares for him, and carries him to safety. \u201cNow,\u201d Jesus asks us, \u201cwhich of these do you think was a neighbor to the man who was beaten and robbed?\u201d<\/div>\n

This stranger,\u00a0this enemy, has become the neighbor, the hero! Inspired compassion has overcome the status quo<\/em> of hatred.<\/p>\n

Yes, we have diverse guiding visions, but these positive visions in all their diversity are united in urging us to develop and practice virtues and to avoid and eliminate vices.<\/p>\n

Like the Good Samaritan, we can move beyond our divisions which have only enslaved us. Like this Good Traveler, we can think first of others and let ourselves\u00a0become\u00a0instruments of divine healing. Like this Good Farbor, we can embrace life in many beautiful ways:<\/p>\n