Just the issues?

In having discussions in some of my classes, I find it easy to take people who I disagree with, and seeing them as only the issue that they are defending. For example, when I talk/argue about politics with anyone, I catch myself thinking that "they're that way because they're a [insert label]." It's very easy to do.

This is something that really takes away from the dignity of a person. People are more than their opinions. They are also much more than their faults. If we were all treated according to the things that we do wrong, we would have no hope. Thankfully, God sees us as basically good. He created us and he does not create anything bad.

So, when we disagree with someone, or when a person's habits or quirks drive us crazy, we have to remember that every person has much more value than their opnions, mistakes, or bad habits. People are created in God's image and have a dignity that, if we saw it for what it was, we could not commit the acts of hate, jealousy, and indifference that we often do.