Don’t shut people out. Talking to others just makes you feel better. Sometimes God uses the people in your life to change your life so when you shut others out, you don’t hear what God is trying to tell you.
I’m not saying that other people’s opinions should become the guiding force in your life but others should be listened to. I think we sometimes shut others out like we’re striking a blow for independence. But we’re merely isolating ourselves and removing some measure of love from our life.
Maybe we also do this because love means suffering because having another person in your life means there will be more suffering. Yes. There will also be more tedious conversations when the other person wants to talk after you’ve had a long day. But there will also be more love, happiness, and joy.
Other people call us out of ourselves and that can be difficult. That can be tiring and sometimes worth a roll of the eyes. It’s also what we’re call to do. Jean Paul Sartre seems to have won the day. “Hell is other people” could be the banner many of us march under. Sartre’s quote seems to be a much better descriptor of our times than Jesus imploring us to love our neighbor. I’ve heard many many people say “I hate people.” I know they don’t actually mean it, they’re just delivering an exasperated sigh concerning the difficulties in dealing with other humans. We are in our own heads so much that it reaches a point when just hearing another person’s opinion throws us into a rage.
In this age of constant communication we’re experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. We have the ability to reach out and contact just about anyone but we don’t. We keep everyone at a distance. We package ourselves and present an image to the world. When we can’t sustain that image we shun others. People praise themselves by saying, “I don’t care what people think” and “I hate people today.” But we are not islands. We were made to be in a community.
I have hope that we can turn this around. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. But Jean Paul Sartre reportedly become a death bed convert to Catholicism. So hey, there’s hope for all of us.
