Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
Justice Murray Sinclair
I’ve been reading about Justice Murray Sinclair, the new chancellor of Queen’s University. What an amazing human being. Beginning with his valedictory address at high school graduation to this latest prestigious appointment at Queen’s, his list of achievements is endless. As I read the article about this wonderful man who is aboriginal the following questions and thoughts filled my mind.
- What impels us to separate people into groups by ethnicity, religion, sexuality and… Once separated we make the judgment – only this group is valuable or this group is best, or this group is to be feared, or this group is to be stamped out, erased from the earth. In a world where no two trees, plants, rocks, animals and humans are the same, where uniqueness is reality, why do we classify people into groups and pass judgment?
- How do we justify believing that my way, and only my way is the right way?
- Prejudice and judgement runs rampant in this world leaving many people with higher mountains to climb.
- Justice Sinclair is aboriginal. I don’t know his story. I do know that many, even most of our aboriginal people endure hardships that most white settlers will never experience. Yet Justice Sinclair excelled.
Obviously, he is brilliant, determined, patient and so much more. I would like to learn his story.
For me that is the bottom line for all of us. Whether we are reading about Justice Sinclair or talking with a young man on a street corner holding up a sign – Hungry, homeless, willing to work, we need to know their story. Listening to their stories can lead us to new and different living, new and wiser values. Hearing and respecting their stories can teach us to live lives of acceptance and love. Oswald Chambers says, “Seeing is never believing. We interpret what we see in the light of what we believe. “As Christians our belief system, the teachings of Jesus tell us that all human beings are God’s precious children, loved, gifted, accepted. May we learn from the wonderful variety of God’s creation, the blessings of being unique.
Today’s Faith by Rev. Janet Stobie
