Respect

By The Bagpipe Staff

Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.”

1. Fire alarms. Don’t pull them. Especially at 2:30 am, and even if classes are canceled the next day. Classes were canceled so that people wouldn’t slip and hurt themselves on the ice, so why force hundreds to all rush out into darkness and onto a virtual skating rink? As I was standing in the initial crowd of Founders and Maclellan residents, love and good deeds were not on the collective mind. Rather, “death to Carter.” And, not surprisingly, Carter’s alarm was soon pulled as well. Isn’t there another verse in the Bible about “vengeance is Mine, declares the Lord?”

2. Stereos. Music is great, but not at 11:00 at night when people are trying to study or sleep. What you consider awesome bass is really a painfully annoying throbbing beat in someone else’s room. I can’t tell you how many times I have lost focus and/or sleep because someone else could not keep their stereo at a reasonable volume. Needless to say, under my breath I did not udder words expressing love and good deeds. Even during the day, when there are no “quiet” hours, respect for other people would ask that you keep raucous music in your own room, at a comfortable level. Some of the volumes I have been exposed to warrant a noise pollution citation.

3. Yourself. Fire alarms are bad, so are stereos, but the human voice is even worse. Not, it’s not as loud, and no, it doesn’t wake 700 students up at some ungodly hour of the morning, but as for spurring love and good deeds, it is ten times as powerful. In intramural games, trash talking has led to some of my most unpleasant experiences here at Covenant. James describes the tongue as “full of deadly poison.” Not just trash talking, but general utterances during game play of the more colorful variety are of the same level I have experienced while playing pick-up games in a more worldly setting.

We are all living here in a community as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to consider the needs of others ahead of our own, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. No one likes being forced to stand outside in the cold after having been asleep, no one likes being forced to listen to music they don’t like, and no one likes being told who did what with their mother/sister/girlfriend. It is not a time-honored tradition, it is not a personal expression and it is not part of the game. It is rude and unloving, and it does not foster love among the brothers and sisters here at Covenant, and they will know that we are Christians by our love.