A HYPOTHESIS CONTRARY TO FACT
Years ago, when Moses and I were in college [this was before he parted the Red Sea], I read a story about a young man who took a trip to New Orleans. Upon his return, a friend asked him what he learned. He said that he learned that everyone in Louisiana is red-headed and speaks French.
He had changed buses at a bus depot on the Lousiana state line and when he boarded the bus he noticed the driver was red-headed. When he asked a question about his itenerary, the driver answered in French.
Upon arrival in Baton Rouge, he went to the grill to order food, and the waitress and cook were both red-headed and spoke French.
When he checked into the hotel in New Orleans, the clerk was red-headed and spoke French. You get the picture.
Some people want to form hypotheses on limited documentation. Someone hears about a preacher who stole the money out of the collection plate, and knows a "decon" who is running around on his wife. He has a brother-in-law who spouts Bible verses, but cheats on his taxes. ALL CHRISTIANS ARE PHONIES! Catholic Priests and Bishops are reported to have violated children, therefore ALL CATHOLICS ARE CHILD MOLESTORS! Be Honest--is it fair to judge ALL CHRISTIANS by these?
Should we judge all Muslims by Ben Laden? All Blacks by Willie Horton? All Italians by John Gotti? What about your favorite sports team? Do you get mad when someone wants to cast aspersions on the team when one player does something criminal?
Okay, should all REALTORS® be viewed as "unprofessional" because some agent does not adhere to the Code of Ethics?
Now, this is where the rubber meets the road: we must individually conduct ourselves in such a manner that "I" do not reflect badly on others--be it REALTOR®, citizen, club member, or a part of a spiritual household.
Should we be slower to form HYPOTHESES CONTRARY TO FACT"? Let's be careful with words like "all", "every" and "them."
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