One perception that I believe he may have touched upon, but not entirely covered as a whole I would have to label as how we see people as objects. Whether it be a teacher who teaches the lesson and not the student, a missionary viewing an investigator as just a number or a baptism, or a man or a woman who looks on the other like a piece of meat or something neat to look at on a poster on their wall.
I believe all too often people label others as objects. This happens all the time. We make each other feel like every one is just someone else, that they have no life, no meaning, no story, no purpose in or of life. I loved how in class we discussed the different methods of perception and how one of them is based on needs. If something, for example, were to happen in the grocery store - some natural disaster, a fire, a robbery, etc. - that is usually the only time we see or would consider anyone starting to bother to interact with one another! Why is it that things have to be made so drastic for conversations, relationships, friendships, and meaningful interaction to occur between people?
I miss kindergarten. I miss being a kid. I felt like everyone was my friend. I felt I could trust and talk to anyone. I didn’t understand the rule, “Don’t talk to strangers” - everyone was a stranger to me! It seems this little rule never applied to us really in grade school, but now that we’re all grown up and older it somehow worked its way into our minds. It’s really sad, in my opinion. Why are people regarded as “more fish in the sea,” as if they were drops of water in the ocean? Sure there are many of us, but not enough to make each other insignificant. I believe if our Heavenly Father can know us all by name, know who we are, what we like, what we need, can love us, can forgive us, and so forth, then I believe that we can make a difference in ourselves by truly beginning to see others as God’s children, as people, as humans.
I believe this is a great part of discipleship because just as the Lord looked on others as His sheep, His children, His responsibility and His care, I know that we as members of the Church and true disciples have a great responsibility to follow the Master’s example and follow through on our commitment to charity, love, compassion, understanding, and other attributes that contribute to this greater cause of fulfilling the commandment to “love one another.”
I feel that as we strive daily, even if at all through simply just prayer to better ourselves through repentance and asking for strength, that we will begin the steps necessary to live this commandment and show all that we are really Christ’s disciples here on earth. I know that even I, as a returned missionary have done such evil before, during, and sadly even after the mission where I have looked on others as objects, numbers, or something of lesser value than they really are. The worth of souls is great and for us to underestimate, disregard, or forget that is absolutely human, perhaps, yet its not something to be comfortable with at all. Though we are human, we do not wish to remain so. Our absolute goal in whole is to be as least human as possible - in turht, more godly and like Christ. Though we may find these faults in ourselves and worst off in others, our objective is to disregard these mistakes, sins, and faults in ourselves and others and to diligently pursue our course in trying to be more like Christ. That is how changing our perception to be more like Christ’s effects how we truly reflect our understanding of discipleship.
If I were to choose an object to best fit my object in defining a means of perception that we use, I could only think up an action figure or a toy. Someone looks at someone as not necessarily good and not necessarily bad. Just as a child put in front of a mess of toys, the child doesn’t like every single toy. There’s bound to be a toy that the child may not like. He or she may choose to abuse it, break it, throw it, make it the bad guy in the imagination, etc. Whereas there may be the automatic favorite toy for looking it looking cool, spectacular, etc. People are seen this way all to often as something to be used and finished with. Something to be held onto because they like it and when it expires, it gets ruined, it gets broken, then it has served its purpose. It’s beyond repair or its simply not worth the effort to repair. No real love was ever really put into that thing, not even really felt. No emotion felt in its passing. Thus, when its disposed of, no remorse is given and the immediate seeking for a new toy is pressed on. How disgusting that in truth, many of us do that to people.
