It’s Me, Too, O Lord!

It’s “Not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”  This Afro-American spiritual, “It’s Me, It’s Me, O Lord,” reminds us that we are not immune to the very same things we “lay on” the shoulders, actions, words,  and minds of those we criticize.  When I criticize Mr. Trump or any one else for what I see as faults and short-comings, I must also be conscious of my own tendency to do and be the very things I find so repugnant in others. “There is a tombstone near my childhood home in England which admonishes the passer-by:” wrote M. Esther Harding, “The faults ye see in others take care to shun.  If you’ll only look at home there’s enough to be done.” 

The “us vs. them” mentality resides in all of us.  We have a tendency to favor those who are like us (insiders) and discriminate against those who are unlike us (outsiders).  This is known as “outgroup bias.” Republicans view Democrats this way and vice versa—and the list goes on ad-infinitum—east/west, rich/poor, black/white, etc.   

In his book, “Less Than Human,” David Livingstone Smith includes a quote from David Hume’s, “A Treatise of Human Nature” (1740) that still speaks today.

“When our own nation is at war with any other, we detest them under the character of cruel, perfidious, unjust and violent: but always esteem ourselves and allies equitable, moderate and merciful. If the general of our enemies be successful, ’tis with difficulty we allow him the figure and character of a man. He is a sorcerer: he has a communication with daemons … he is bloody-minded and takes a pleasure in death and destruction. But if the success be on our side, our commander has all the opposite good qualities, and is a pattern of virtue, as well as of courage and conduct. His treachery we call policy: His cruelty is an evil inseparable from war. In short, every one of his faults we either endeavor to extenuate, or dignify it with the name of that virtue, which approaches it. ’Tis evident that the same method of thinking runs thro’ common life.”

Yes, “It’s Me, It’s Me," Too, O Lord, standing in the need of reform and change—standing in need of more compassion, care, love, and empathy.