gentler world

As usual lately I've been troubled by the news. There has been way too much contentious rhetoric and not nearly enough sensitivity to others. It's occurred to me that we've forgotten how important it is to walk in someone else's shoes before making judgments.

Polls show, for instance, that most Americans are opposed to the building of a Muslim educational center and mosque at Ground Zero. There's been a lot of shouting, a flurry of accusations from both sides. Those who oppose it are accused of racial and religious bias. Those in favor of it are described as insensitive at best, and as terrorists at worst.

Here's how I see it. We are a nation created by people fleeing religious persecution. Our constitution supports religious freedom, not just for Christians, but for the believers of all religions. On that basis alone, there should be no objections to the building of a mosque in any community. That said, however, it seems to me that the supporters of this particular mosque are showing tremendous insensitivity to the families of the victims of 9/11 and to a nation which sees Ground Zero as hallowed ground. Do they have the right to build there? Absolutely. Is it in their best interests to do so under these circumstances? Absolutely not. Legality and sensitivity do not always walk hand in hand.

In  similar fashion, just this weekend conservative talk show host Glenn Beck held his rally for honor on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's historic "I have a dream speech" at the same location. It was undeniably his right not only to hold such a rally -- he'd be the first to point out the laws proclaiming that right -- but to choose the timing and place for it. Did his decision display even a hint of respect for or sensitivity to Dr. King's legacy or for the African-American community? Sorry, but no. Again the deliberate lack of sensitivity makes you wonder about the sincerity of the message.

I could go on and on about the many ways that the legal right to do something bumps headlong into whether the action is sensitive...or sensible. I can't help thinking about an old adage, "He was right, dead right, as he sped along, but he's just as dead now as if he'd been wrong."

Defending our constitution is never wrong. Tempering it with sensitivity is even better.