How did we get so far apart?
“Common sense is seeing things as they are; and doing things as they ought to be”
The interesting thing about common sense these days is that it doesn’t seem to be so common anymore. I can’t remember a time when we people seemed so divided and incapable of considering other points of views or different perspectives. I don’t watch the news anymore. The news is nothing more than an attempt to justify one side of the story, not to get the story correct. It’s fictional drama presented as facts.
Don’t even get me started on social media. So much mis-information, rhetoric, and manipulation is being consumed on a daily basis. It keeps people worked up and agitated. All the good things that can happen through these channels is far out-weighed by the negatives. The worst part about it is that keeps people from talking to each other. Texting, tweeting, sending a snap is not personal communication. Just think if we spent as much time talking to one another as we do on social media, what a better place the world would be. What better relationships we would have. How much more common ground that we would find. How much more we would understand each other.
My goal with this blog is to share positive stories. Certainly, not be political or judgmental in anyway. We need to all focus on spreading positive energy in our world, now more than ever because we are constantly bombarded with negative energy. I think we all need to take responsibility for our role in creating a world that was better than the one we inherited.
“Finding common ground starts from developing a common understanding.”
Finding common ground starts from developing a common understanding. Becoming more knowledgable about an issue, understanding why someone believes a certain way, taking a few steps in another’s shoes gives us perspective. We don’t learn and grow by only communicating with people who believe as we do.
If we are comfortable and confident in our beliefs, we are open to discussion about those beliefs. When you close yourself off to examining your beliefs or considering other possibilities, you quit learning.
One of the most enjoyable conversations I have had in recent memory took place at Myrtle beach last May. On a golf trip, my friend Jim and I sat on the balcony of our condo and had a two hour conversation about family, religion, politics, and more. Jim and I come from different backgrounds and experiences , and had different perspectives on several things. We had a wonderful, respectful, interesting, and enlightening conversation. It made me re-think some things. I think it improved our friendship and increased the respect that we have for each other. I look forward to our next long chat.
I encourage you to talk to people who see things a little different than you do. Sometimes, once you understand “why” someone feels a certain way, you begin to understand “how” someone could feel that way. Different opinions are not wrong, they are just different.