Why Do We See Things So Differently?

Not too long ago, I used to wonder why the same people always seemed to end up on opposite sides of every issue.  As I tried to figure this out, I noticed that those who usually found themselves on the side opposite to me never respond to reason.  This doesn’t mean these people are not intelligent because they are.  In fact, it would seem that there a great deal of very intelligent people on the side that does not respond to reason.  Now, by ‘reason,’ I mean they do not adhere to nor do they allow themselves to be guided by the laws of logic.  They have their own way of thinking through things, but they change the rules governing how they think to suit the pre-conceived conclusions they want to draw.  At the same time, the people on the other side — the side where I usually find myself — they do adhere to the laws of logic and, whether they like it or not, they are more — not always — but more inclined to let logic determine their conclusions on a given issue.  But this is a rough description of what I observed was as far as I got in trying to understand why this is — until I started to seek wisdom instead of knowledge.  Once I started seeking wisdom, everything changed.  Now I understand…

For me, the first step came when I discovered that wisdom and intelligence/knowledge are not the same things.  There is a spiritual aspect of wisdom that is separate from and above mere intelligence and knowledge (awareness).  Once I understood this, I understood that education does not equate to wisdom.  In fact, the more education a person has, the more likely they are to lack wisdom.  This revelation then lead me to understand why so many in our colleges can be found on the side that does not understand or follow the rules of basic logic: they are intelligent, but they lack any hint of wisdom.

So I searched the Scriptures and I found that wisdom comes not from ourselves, but from God.  God is the source of wisdom.  This is when I understood that wisdom is a spiritual thing.  So I kept searching the Scriptures, and I kept hounding the Lord for His wisdom; His understanding — and not my own.  It took time, but the more I did this, and the more I studied God’s Word instead of the things of men, the more clearly I started to understand why certain people always seem to stand on opposite sides of any given issue.

Then, one day, I saw this meme on Face Book and — like a thunderbolt — it all made sense to me:

The moment I read this, I heard Jesus saying three things to me.  They came so fast and so powerfully, and I understood so suddenly and so clearly that it was as if I had been physically struck by a powerful blow.  First, I heard:

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

And just as soon as I heard and understood these words, I heard Christ saying:

John 10:27

²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

And, finally, I heard:

John 15:18

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, ^[a]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

All this happened in the blink of an eye: I read the meme, heard Christ talking to me and understood the connection, and why people tend to stand on opposite sides of things.  Now, before I try to explain this, let me be clear: I am not saying that this is a fast rule.  People tend to cross the dividing line, some more than others.  At times, we all stand on the other side of that line, but — in general — we will find we are usually standing on one side or the other.  One side will accept logic, Natural Law, universal morality and Truth.  This side of the line can learn, so they can be taught.  On the other side of the line, people tend to ignore and even deny these things.  For these people, things are whatever they want them to be.  In general, these people cannot be taught, so they do not learn.  In Scriptural terms, one side is humble, the other is stiff-necked.  Now, what does it mean in relation to why this is?

Christ said He is the embodiment of God’s Law: the Law made flesh.  He is the Way (God’s Law), the Truth (constant, unchanging, eternal) and the Life (salvation comes by following God’s Laws).   Christ also said that those who belong to and follow Him hear His voice.  That means — in part — we hear and accept God’s Laws (Natural and moral/revealed). Those who reject His laws reject Him.  It’s that simple.  This also explains the animosity bordering on hatred that is often found between the people on this divide, and that hatred predominantly runs one way: from those who do not adhere to logic toward those who do.  You see, even if they think they believe in God, the people who refuse to obey the laws of logic, Natural Law, morality, God’s Commandments — any of God’s Laws — they reject God.  And because they reject God, they reject God’s people.  But those who hear God’s voice, and who seek to obey His Laws: though they are not perfect, and they stumble and fall, they get back up and keep trying.  They seek to obey, so they will humble themselves and let God lead them.  But those who reject God’s Laws: they seek to put themselves on God’s throne.  They say in their hearts that they are gods, and that they have authority to change God’s Laws.  And this is why the same people tend to be found on the same side of every issue, and why the people on one side never seem to see logic, understand the spirit of the law or anything else that is connected with God’s ordinances…or love.