Significance

Today's theme was recognizing biases in myself and in others. There is no way that I did not hit this theme on the head. At the beginning of the day, I was asked what one of biases was. I realized that my biases have a lot to do with my pet peeves. The first one that came to mind was arrogant people. I have known that I struggle with this type of person for most of my life. However, when interacting with our group today, I have found my biases extended far beyond what I realized. I have found that my bias against arrogant people is overshadowed by my bias against people that are apathetic to the struggles of others. Certain events in my life have brought me to a level of empathy for everyone around me. I am very aware of how my actions affect the people that I associate with. As a consequence, I expect others to be the same way.
When we had to wait for a couple girls this morning and we missed our train as a result, I realized that this may be my biggest bias of all. I struggle with those who go through life without considering their actions as an influence on other people's lives. Montserrat was an amazing place to visit and reflect on my weaknesses. The buildings were impeccable, but the landscape that it was built into was incredible! The rain enveloped the mountain in mist and created a very unique atmosphere.
My only complaint was the lack of reverence within the walls. During the boy's choir concert, there was pushing, shoving, and flash photography. There was not a sense of anything being sacred. This again illustrated my bias for those who don't think their actions will affect other people.
My favorite part of the trip up the mountain was the small hike down to the chapel built into a cave. Along the way, there were several depictions of biblical stories. The work that went into them was breathtaking. They could have been somebody's life work. But when we arrived at the little chapel, it was very quiet and very significant. There was a simple alter and simple wooden seats to sit in. I loved it. As beautiful as the big cathedrals are, they do not have any sense of the Spirit in them. There are just too many people crammed into these buildings.