Why we fail to UNDERSTAND our neighbors

Here are some reasons why we fail to understand our neighbors:

Fear:
"Neither despise or oppose what thou dost not understand" - William Penn

We tend to fear what we do not understand. Fear can lead to hate and discrimination so we need to see our neighbors as created in the image of God.

Self-centeredness:
People normally aren't self centered on purpose. The best way to overcome this is to start seeing things from your neighbor's perspective - from their viewpoint. It's called EMPATHY.

Failure to appreciate differences:
We need to learn to respect and recognize everyone's unique qualities. Our job isn't to cast our neighbors in our image but to celebrate our uniqueness. When we combine our uniqueness we win.

​Failure to acknowledge our similarities:
We need to recognize we often share the same feelings and drive. Those things can often lead to competition and disagreements. When we open ourselves up and learn to work together,  our similarities can fuel our heart for the community and see things shift in our neighborhoods.