Coexist

I’ve been noticing more and more “COEXIST” bumper stickers in our area – the ones with all the letters in various religious symbols. I just love this bumper sticker. I love the message and belief that we can all live peacefully together in the world. In our peppered history, as long as it’s been documented, religion has always been a reason to start terrible wars and induce wide-spread hate.

And so when I see this bumper sticker, I have to admire the person driving the car. Because I’m sure there are some people that do not believe in its message and might be inclined to react harshly. So, you’d have to be a little bold to have it there.

One morning I was driving to work and the mini-van in front of me was trying to merge into the left lane. A big red pickup truck sped up, blocking her merge. The little car behind the pick up sped up as well, neither one would let her in. So sad – I thought – that people can’t have the same sense of courtesy that they might have in other situations.

Then I noticed that the little car that followed the pickup truck had a “Coexist” bumper sticker on it. I was really shocked! The driver was a young girl, college age, black framed glasses, black fingernails, pretty progressive it appeared. I thought, girlfriend, how are we supposed to Coexist if we can’t even Cooperate!

But in these situations, even though they may be shocking at first, I try not to pass too much judgment. My husband can be a madman on the road, so when I see someone driving in the same aggressive manner, I think, gee, would you look at that, another just like him. But, you’d never know it to meet him in person. He’s the funniest, most optimistic, most agreeable person I know.

Not only that, you really can’t base a persons entire character on one moment in time. I always try to imagine that they might be having a really bad day – maybe someone was rude to them just the moment before. Maybe they just had a fight with their spouse. No one is perfect – we’re all human! We all get angry, surly, grumpy (although it’s rumored that my uncle never loses his temper, quite astonishing actually, I don’t know how he does it!) I’d like to think that we’re all trying to do the right thing, trying to be better every day, learn something new, or gain a new perspective.

I found a quote that kind of sums this all up:

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful.
Yet there will stretch out before you an

ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path.
You know you will never get to the end of the journey.
But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb. . "

Sir Winston Churchill