I noticed something the other day that gave me cause to reflect. I was led to a Facebook profile from an e-mail, and I noticed that nearly all of the “friends” of the person whom I was visiting were people exactly like her. She is a very attractive woman, and most of the men and women who were listed at her site were also very attractive. She is also very involved in New Age pursuits, including Eastern philosophy, mantra-like exotic music, and Native American anything at all. She eats organic food and avoids corn syrup. Likewise, her group of listed friends was largely the same. I began to ponder the question that I’m sure most of us have considered at one time or another. Why do we and why should we pursue relationships with people just like us?

There is at least one ready answer. We do so because we like to share our common interests with people who understand them, and as a result, will understand us. Having made such connections, we will continue to grow from the knowledge and experience we then gain from the bond. That sounds good, at least on the surface. But if you take a deeper look there, you will see some inconsistencies. If we indeed desire growth, why would we limit ourselves to people who share our perspective? I prefer to consider this: maybe we seek out people who are just like us so that we can feel comfortable, supported, vindicated, and exclusive. Who wants friends who challenge when we can just get rubber-stamped by hand-picked cliques straight from our own mirrors? So much easier, so little angst.

Of course, such a suspicious and cynical observation could only come from an iconoclast who seeks to flagellate himself and anyone in his path. Guilty as charged, but this is only due to the fact that I firmly believe that we are all full of shit. Did you ever see an animal deep in self-absorption, pondering a dilemma about the next move? Me neither. But I’ve seen plenty of people drowning in a sea of self-reflection, weighing how their course of action may be perceived by the clown in the next cubicle. We want to hang with people just like us so we can rest assured that either we are “right”, or at least we’re not the only idiot on the block.

I was taught as a child in school that God made humanity in his own image and likeness. I don’t think so. Maybe if you’re talking about a majestic soaring bird of prey, or a mother canine nursing her pups, or any poised, secure life form comfortably assuming its place in the grander scheme. But please don’t ask me to worship at the feet of a God who created the guy in the purple sweat pants, exposing his butt crack as he bends over to pick up a can of Sterno at Wal-Mart, and then tell me he’s the spit and image of our Heavenly Father. I must then take issue, and most of my Facebook friends would completely agree with me.