The Other Person is (of course) the Problem | The Chaplaincy of Poitou Charentes

At a fringe meeting of the Labour Conference this year the deputy leader, Angela Rayner, described her political opponents as ‘Tory scum’. Now, I am one of those annoying (to politicians) people who have voted for all the major U.K. political parties over the years and am proud of it. I am disturbed by this description of Conservative colleagues and I would be equally disturbed to hear a Tory describe his or her opponents as ‘Labour scum’. This language is disrespectful and divisive; by all means let us profoundly disagree with one another – but not denigrate the other.

However, it got me thinking about what I actually think about those who I consider are different from myself (specks of dust and planks of wood come to mind – Matthew 7.1-5). My life is not as busy as it once was. I used to be on the go all the time, but here in France there is space to slow down and one of my hopes through coming here was to learn how to pray! The problem is that slowing down for prayer brings back memories, opens up the mind and soul to impulses and ingrained attitudes which I have never allowed myself to confront before. Conversion is an ongoing, arduous business. In the privacy of my own mind and heart, under the surface, I can do a lot of name-calling.

The other person can be a challenge. I find myself caught between two really interesting, contradictory attitudes. The first is ‘I am right you are wrong.’ This is the ego-based Angela Rayner reaction. I, and those who are like me, are in this group defined by these characteristics, and you are not like that – so go! And this can happen in the church community – we know it can and does. The other reaction from an insecure part of me is, ‘You must be right and I must be wrong.’ You are more powerful than me, you threaten me. I am just weak and insignificant, therefore I will cast myself out.

This is the point to remind ourselves of the possibilities of the body of Christ and the new physics. We can think of Paul’s image of the Body of Christ as a really lovely idea. We are all necessary parts of the same organism having different functions and abilities… and still not really respect others who are different from us. They are simply over there somewhere and we are over here. But what if Paul is saying, ‘Sorry, like it or not, you diverse bunch of people are actually intimately, spiritually connected with each other – just learn to accept it’. The new physics (which I really have very little idea about, but then who does?) is challenging notions of reality. Particles do things that they are not supposed to do. Matter and spirit are not as distinct as we would like them to be. If Angela Rayner and Boris Johnson stood next to each other, are they really two different human beings, or could we imagine them flowing in and out of each other – a bit like the Holy Trinity!?

When I was at school as part of my social education I was sent to visit a centre for people with profound disabilities. I found it really hard. How could I relate to people who could not speak? One day was different. The veil was, by God’s grace, removed and I found myself at complete peace, knowing that I was one with them, and they were one with me. No separation, no difference.