Assume the Best

In church last Sunday, I heard a quote from Elder Dale G. Renlund that really stood out to me, and that same day, the General Conference YouTube channel published a video including that same quote. 

When love of Christ envelops our lives, we approach disagreements with meekness, patience, and kindness. We worry less about our own sensitivities and more about our neighbor’s. We “seek to moderate and unify.” We do not engage in “doubtful disputations,” judge those with whom we disagree, or try to cause them to stumble. Instead, we assume that those with whom we disagree are doing the best they can with the life experiences they have.

I especially like that last part. I don't know if it's true or not, but I find it comforting to think that everyone's doing the best they can. Everyone is, to the best of their ability, trying to what they, using the light that they have, believe is the right thing to do. Granted, it can be hard to justify certain behaviors, like committing murder, but some people have a desperately small amount of light. Perhaps, instead of judging people as "being evil" for doing things that we consider to be evil, we can try to sympathize with them and try to understand how they got to that point. People aren't born evil. People are inherently good. If we seek out the good in people, we can help them to see it too, and maybe we can help it to grow.

Ultimately, I think it's good to assume the best in people, or at least that they're doing the best they can, not just because it might be true, but also because it's a more peaceful way to live.