Some people are ornery. They can find a flaw in any situation, and zero in on the shortcomings of everyone around them. It can be tiresome to hear their barrage of complaints, even if it is predictable. On occasion I find myself contracting as I brace for the inevitable criticism. 

 

One way I try to diffuse my own negative response to their negativity, is to imagine their part in the grand human. I believe that we are as a people like one complex organism, capable of reflecting God. The interdependence of our gifts is more boggling than a four hundred piece Lego kit. Each contribution to others is mirrored in the way our bodies work for a unified purpose. Some of us love to provide stability, like the skeletal system, while others are passionate about listening. One person's skill may lie in being a voice, while others are driven to create connections. 

 

When I bemoan the propensity of some people to find fault, I try to imagine them as the immune system. This mysterious capacity of our bodies to ferret out and attack invaders is of paramount importance. In these days of a pandemic its importance can hardly be overstated. 

 

Thinking of people this way softens my tendency to judge them as wrong. Indeed their absence in the whole would render us vulnerable. If I were applying for a job in the Grand Human, the position of virus assailant is not one I would choose. I can be thankful that someone else is up for the challenge. 

 

It would be impossible to build a complicated model if every piece was the same. Maybe it is true of us as well.