Every now and then, I experience a jolt that halts me in my tracks. That’s precisely what occurred on Saturday night. I was at home, sipping a glass of wine and watching Conclave, a film about the selection of the next pope.
Suddenly, the Cardinal who’d organized this whole event said something about “certainty” that I’d never heard before. It felt profound.
I quickly grabbed my pen and It’s Possible notepad to jot it down. But I couldn’t capture his exact words, so I replayed it a few times.
Here’s what the Cardinal said.
“…Let me tell you that the one sin I have come to fear more than any other is certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance.”
Whoa! That really got me thinking. The one sin that rules them all.
What am I so certain of? The truth is, like anyone else, I view things from my own perspective. Factors such as my age, gender, experiences, where I live, education, and income all influence my worldview.
And it’s so easy to think I’m right. After all, I usually am! (wink, wink)
Sometimes, I even feel like pushing my righteous views onto others. But I know that if I do, I’ll only make things worse.
Instead, I need to remind myself that my relationship with this person comes first—even if I don’t know them yet. We need to talk, learn about each other, and discover each other’s perspectives, concerns, and ideas.
Then, and only then, can we work together to find the best possible option—one that will unite us in a better future. And I think we might all agree that it’s worth it.
