Q: Dear Todd, how does your teaching of “we are all God” apply to people living in a tough city where people will rob and kill another person? That is not what a “Godly”, or spiritual, person would do. Am I not a better person (to know) than the rapist, the thief, or the murderer?

TODD ANSWERS: We must see these people beyond their acts of cruelty. We must see their trauma, their extreme poverty, their abuse or neglect, their role models and the examples others set for them. We must see the sickness in society that breeds this disease in our fellow humans. And yes, we can show even them the love and care we would show any other sick person.

We all have the potential to be better, but it usually only happens when others show #kindness and love. I’m not saying invite every murderer to live with you. That would be quite foolish –we must protect ourselves and our loved ones first. But, we can see that safety and protection, in the long run, depend on us having a more loving society, not a less-loving one.