“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing personal opinion.”
– Proverbs 18:2
Over the past 16 years, I have become somewhat of an expert on children’s shows. My daughters have taken over our TV and most of the shows we watch are cartoons. One of those shows that we have seen, many, many, many, times is “Horton Hears a Who!” This classic by Dr. Seuss features the voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell and Carol Burnett. It is an imaginative story about an Elephant (Horton) who hears the voices of tiny people who live on a speck found on a small flower. After hearing the voices and contacting a person on the speck, Horton determines that it is his job is to protect the people, the Who, living on that flower. He goes to great lengths to make sure the flower is in the safest place possible.
It is not long into the story that the antagonist makes her appearance. Played skillfully by Carol Burnett, the Sour Kangaroo, Jane, decides that Horton must be crazy. This is simply because she cannot hear the voices that Horton hears. She confronts Horton, but he does not change his mind about his new friends living on that speck. Unable to correct Horton, and make him conform, the Kangaroo begins to organize the rest of the creatures in the jungle. She works hard to convince everyone that Horton is a danger simply because he is different. She tells a gathering of animals, “That Horton is a menace. He has those kids using their imagination. It’s sick.”
Thankfully, after a wild and dangerous adventure, Horton and the good people of Whoville are able to convince the Jungle community that they do exist and need to be cared for. Kangaroo and her followers give up their relentless pursuit of Horton and the speck.
The people of Whoville would not have made it to the end of the story had it not been for the love of one elephant who was willing to risk being different, and risk thinking differently. In this classic story, we are reminded of a timeless truth… different is not the same as dangerous. Life is filled with people who are different. Some people have different tastes in clothing, some cheer for different sports teams, some have different political views, and still others see God differently than you or I see. Being different is not dangerous. Thinking differently is not a bad thing. In fact, if we will take time to listen to those who are different from us and try to understand them, we may find a whole new world opens up to us.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
