Originally posted on Facebook HERE
September. How is it possibly September? Insane how fast time moves. Nothing we can do about it except try to enjoy the passing of time as much as possible. And we all pass the time differently. We all see everything differently. We have our own opinions and biases. No two people are ever exactly alike. So why do we spend so much of our time arguing between ourselves about who to vote for, what music is best, vaccinations, dogs vs cats, who makes the best pizza, what’s the greatest movie of all time, etc, etc, etc… ??? There are certainly many serious issues that we feel very strongly about, and I’ve seen on social media people who will post “if you feel this way, unfriend me now!”… I’m sure we all have. I often oblige those people if I hold an opposing viewpoint. We’ll never know peace within ourselves if we let someone else’s opinions stir that much emotion that we instantly go into rage and anger just reading a Facebook post. Years ago I got caught up in it all big time. I’d argue politics, religion, any topic at all from death penalty to abortions… some would be civil discourse. Some wouldn’t. Quite a while ago I decided it just wasn’t worth it to me. Nobody ever changes anyone else’s mind. 99% of the time both sides of any argument will just dig further into whatever it is they already believe. And usually both sides will walk away upset, irritated, angry… not worth it to me. I have many friends who hold diametrically opposed opinions to mine on many many topics, but they’re great people and I will not be sucked into an aggressive conversation with them. We agree to disagree. The one thing I really don’t like to see from either side, even if it’s voicing an opinion that I hold – is anger and hatred towards the other side. People aren’t “stupid” just because their opinion is different than yours. They aren’t you. Nobody is you except you. Every day you will encounter people who think differently than you do. Every day you’ll wonder how they could possibly think that way. And every moment of every day only you control how you react to it. If someone else’s opinions really bring a lot of anger to your heart, then maybe that isn’t a great person to spend a lot of time with. Life is way too short to live pissed off about the way someone else thinks and feels. You can stand up for the things you believe in without hating the people who feel differently than you do. Seems like people are moving further and further away from that concept. It’s much easier said than done, too. But in that moment, when you see a post and your anger wells up… is it worth responding to? Will it just lead to more aggravation? Can you just “hide” it, or unfollow or unfriend that person if their feed is steady stream of aggravation for you?… the impersonal nature of social media makes it easier to hate on each other. Let’s do our best not to buy into that 🙂
