June 8, 2014

It's a little later than usual, but here's a Sunday message to think about.
Yesterday I finally went to see Divergent. (I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'll let you make that call for yourselves.) For those who don't know the story, it is about a place where people are put into groups, or "Factions" depending upon certain personality traits, inclinations, or upbringing. They are separated by intelligence, compassion, bravery, etc. Then there are an elite few who are called "Divergent's." They are the ones who show strong connections with ALL the factions. They think for themselves and thus create a threat to those in charge, fearing they can't be controlled. 

I started thinking about how this movie relates to our lives. Of course we are not forced to choose a group, but as humans, WE make our own assessments and place people in groups or classifications. In high school, there were the Jocks, the Stoners, the Cowboys. There were the Cheerleader/Drill teams, the Band/Choir Geeks, The Drama Nerds. And then there were the ones who didn't seem to fit in anywhere...The "Faction-less." As we grew older, we became classified by our schooling, careers, religion, what we wear, what we drive, where we live, what family or upbringing we came from. We are quick to judge and place people in the group that we think they belong in based on our basic knowledge of them or how they appear on the surface.

Why do we do that? I think if we took a little more time to get to know people before automatically classifying them, we would come to find out that they are all complex beings. We all have likes, dislikes, dreams, fears, and hopes. Let's give people a chance to show who they really are..... to see their HEART. And maybe we all should become a little more "Divergent," too. We can work on the things that don't come easy to us. We can face our fears, try to be more compassionate, learn something new, and by doing so, become more well-rounded and and more willing to see those traits in others.