Finding Humanity at the Pool

Summer is upon us and in our house and that means swimming. Our kids are freaks for the pool which means I will be spending copious amounts of time at the pool over the next few months. Which also means I will be spending copious amounts of time looking at the people at the pool. This is not voyeurism, folks. We go to a very popular public pool. On any given day there are a couple hundred people there. Unless I go around with my eyes closed I have no choice but to notice everyone else. I don't mind the crowds, I'm just not sure what to do about what I see.

I am not Mr. Black (which is good since I think he is dead). Most of what passes as fashion escapes me. I have better things to do with my time than sit around critiquing what other people are wearing. Yet, at the pool, I find myself in a heightened state of fashion consciousness. Or perhaps it is more honest to say I am more judgmental of other people. Not just about what they are, or are not, wearing but what kind of humans they are.

Like it or not Hollywood and Madison Avenue have helped to create impressions in my mind about what beauty is. If you are a 5'4" young woman and weigh 120 pounds then feel free to break out the bikini. However, if you are 5'2" and weigh in at 180, well, perhaps a one-piece is in order. Come to think of it go ahead and leave that t-shirt on as well. Oh, and only guys with six-pack abs and buns of steel should brave the Speedo. Otherwise, it is better to conceal than to reveal.

As I walk around the pool (sans Speedo) I'm aware of something else that popular culture has taught me. If you are beautiful on the outside than you must be pretty on the inside. The other side of that coin is that the not-so-good looking people are equally unattractive underneath all the fat and flab. In subtle yet powerful ways we are led to believe that a person's humanity is dependent upon what they look like. At the pool our humanity, or lack thereof, is on full display. Let the judging begin.

There is another way of looking at people at the swimming pool. The Christian faith, my faith, teaches that all people are created in the image and likeness of God. Everyone, regardless of their physical features, is fully human and entitles to be treated with dignity and respect. If this is what I really believe than the pool is a place where I can look around and affirm the humanity of everyone present. It does not matter if a person looks like a super-model or the Governator, if the bikini or Speedo is flattering or not, I can see what God sees - a bunch of people who are wonderfully made and fully human. I think it is going to be a great summer at the pool!