Of Blind Spots and Open Hearts – Sunday September 13, 2020

Anyone who has ever passed a driving test knows what a blind spot is. It’s that troublesome area just outside your field of vision that can make changing lanes dangerous. No matter how you adjust your mirrors, you can’t truly drive safely unless you’re aware of and account for your blind spot.

We all have another kind of blind spot, one that has nothing to do with driving, but it can be just as dangerous. And if we don’t account for it, we could seriously hurt ourselves and others. The truth is, when we look at life and at each other, we don’t see the complete picture. Unavoidably, biases and preconceptions form over the years, and they can keep us from fully seeing, understanding, and connecting with another.

For example, when we see someone who looks different from us, what do we think? Do we make assumptions based on limited information? So often we think we’re talking to each other when we’re really talking past each other. We carry on monologues, not dialogues. We make judgments, not connections.

The good news is that even though we all have blind spots, we can all overcome them. As with driving, the first step is to acknowledge that blind spots exist—to stop assuming that we can see everything there is to see. We share life’s highway with many other drivers, and no two are exactly alike; we all have been shaped by our history, background, and experiences. To travel safely, we need to travel together. Maybe the best way to check your blind spot is to reach out to someone who has a different view, who sees things you don’t—and then listen without judging.

Recently, the leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a joint statement about racial harmony, demonstrating that we see more clearly when we look together. They wrote: “Unitedly we declare that the answers to racism, prejudice, discrimination and hate will not come from government or law enforcement alone. Solutions will come as we open our hearts to those whose lives are different than our own, as we work to build bonds of genuine friendship, and as we see each other as the brothers and sisters we are—for we are all children of a loving God.”[1]

[1] “Locking Arms for Racial Harmony in America,” Medium, June 8, 2020, medium.com/@Ch_JesusChrist/locking-arms-for-racial-harmony-in-america-2f62180abf37.

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September 13, 2020 Of Blind Spots and Open Hearts
Broadcast Number 4,748

The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square 

Conductors
Mack Wilberg
Ryan Murphy  

Organist
Joseph Peeples 

Host
Lloyd Newell

Simple Gifts
Shaker song; arr. Ryan Murphy 

Pilgrim Song
American folk hymn; arr. Ryan Murphy 

Scherzo, from Dix Pièces pour Orgue, no. 8
Eugène Gigout 

His Voice as the Sound
American folk hymn; arr. Mack Wilberg 

What a Wonderful World
George David Weiss and Bob Thiele; arr. Mack Wilberg 

I Think the World Is Glorious
Alexander Schreiner; arr. Mack Wilberg