“If there was one life skill everyone on the planet needed, it was the ability to think with critical objectivity,” – Henry David Thoreau

“No man thoroughly understands a truth until he has contended against it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as WE are.” – Anais Nin

“Dispassionate objectivity is itself a passion – for the real and for the truth.” – Abraham Maslow

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” – James 3:17 ESV

We are close to election season, and local media is FILLED with commercials trying to convince us of the right candidate that deserves our vote.  Sadly, they seem less about learning what a candidate stands for when it comes to the issues and more about character assassination of the opponent.

When you currently look around our world, what seems prevalent and commonplace?  What do you see and hear?

Division, angst, strife, and contention seem to be thriving.  The discord and conflict are at levels that almost seem beyond repair.  Opinions have now turned into facts.  We see our side of the issue as the only relevant one, and more importantly, our personal viewpoint is the one that MUST be seen as the ONLY valid, reasonable option out there.  It isn’t a matter of compromise – it’s a matter of ensuring our thoughts, our way of doing things, and our opinions take precedence no matter what.

We have lost the most powerful thing we possess.  We have lost our objectivity.

Think about it for a second.  Objectivity is at the root of all truth, it’s at the very center of fairness and justice – cutting through all personal bias, prejudice, and partiality.  It crushes intolerance and eliminates all narrow-mindedness.  Without it, love is impossible, shared growth unfeasible, and conflicts irresolvable.

If we fail to hold on tight to our objectivity, we will lose all truth, we will lose our unity, and we will lose our ability to move forward.  If being right or having your way is more important than a balanced perspective, seeking the facts, and meeting each other halfway, then NO ONE grows, NO ONE learns, and NO ONE will move to a better place.

Can you see the wisdom in Anais Nin’s quote above – that in our humanness, we SEE things as WE are?  Our view of life is driven by our own personal experiences and encounters – and these very real things can skew and taint the truth if we allow them too.

I love how the Apostle James talks about wisdom “from above” – how it is pure and gentle, peaceable and open to reason.  Like wisdom, objectivity is impartial and sincere – full of mercy and good fruits – for it is far more concerned about seeking truth than being right and having its own way.

How do we attain such Godly wisdom?

When you find yourself entrenched in a viewpoint or way of thinking – STOP and place yourself on the opposite side of the confrontation, argument, or issue.  Become “dispassionately objective” as Maslow states above, disregarding any emotion or personal bias or experiences and look HARD at where the other side is coming from.  Strive to SEE, HEAR, and FEEL their viewpoint and the facts and truths as the center of their perspective.

Like Emerson states, we can never come to the truth within a matter unless we choose to contend with it and challenge it objectively – making it a priority to see ALL SIDES of the issue.

We cannot change the world overnight, but we can change OUR WORLD overnight by embracing objectivity in our relationships, our friendships, and our communities.  We can become the gentle, sincere, and impartial person who speaks truth and not opinion – who looks for the compromise instead of the argument, who helps shed light on the facts that are truly present on BOTH SIDES of the issue if we humbly chose to see it from a new and different perspective.

The answers on how to approach our healing and growth as a community, how to handle our political differences, how to address the racial divides, and how to move our state and country forward again are found in the power of objectivity.  More directly, we nurture and draw closer to our families, friends, and soul connections when we learn the power of objectivity and compromise.

May God help us to become more objective in our own lives and may the impact that has on our loved ones, our neighbors, our workplace, and our communities be seen and felt in all we do and say.

God bless!

“The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.” – Proverbs 9:10 AMP