Perspective
Is agreement really necessary?
What I mean is, does everyone have to hold your opinion?
Why do we need others to agree with everything?
Don’t we learn from each other when someone sees it a different way?
Don’t we grow when we become friends with someone who has a different outlook
Different childhood
Different culture
I’m thinking about friends of mine who believe very different things than I do
I really like them
I can hear an opinion I don’t agree with and I don’t have to try to convince them mine is better
Or right
What constitutes civility?
What do you consider a compromise?
I always thought it meant that both parties weren’t totally happy or totally unhappy
There were parts of an agreement that works for both
This ever present discord is damaging us
It’s creating divisions in families that don’t need to be there
Life is tough enough
What do we gain if we alienate ourselves against each other?
How does that make us better?
I have friends that watch TV shows, I’ve never seen, nor will I
They watch movies I’m not interested in
They read books I would never pick off the shelf but I’m still friends with them
I enjoy their company
I enjoy conversation with them
I definitely think we can disagree with somebody and not try to destroy them
Our democracy is built on differences
But, it’s not us vs. them
It’s, we the people
We don’t need to demonize those who differ from us
We need to care about our fellow humans
I lost another friend
This guy was completely awesome
He was always learning something and super funny
A really good man, father, husband, friend
His loss will be felt by multitudes
What if you consider yourself a student and kept learning
Have a beginner mind
Unclench, everything
Laugh more
We all need to take a collective breath
Inhale for four
Hold for four
Exhale for four
If you just did it, you feel it instantly
A relaxing
A mindfulness moment
If you were raised in the Christian religion, you were taught to do two things
1)to love God
2)to love your neighbor
That’s it
Just love
Now take some more of those breaths
Because it’s a gift to do that
It’s also a gift to love, even someone you don’t agree with