Divisions

You are a decent person. I think of myself as decent. Together you and I, we, are decent. We agree on that. Those who are not us most likely are decent. Talk with a group of strangers, and learn how quickly we laugh together. At the common things that seem odd, but routine. Even a word said over and over again sounds odd, doesn’t it? The foreignness of common things rises to our consciousness at times unexpected. It is one of the oddities of life; and funny at the same time.


Quirks make things interesting. Not threatening, interesting.


What is threatening to me, or you, or us, comes from another place in our being. Somewhere delicate and vulnerable. Why is not readily apparent, but vulnerability is awakened.  


What are some of those things, topics? Well, for many – including myself – is the fear of losing a freedom. Perhaps it is my sense of order and governance?  I prefer freedom to regulations and rules. I like to think things through to be more certain I understand a point. Then I like to discuss it with others. Slowly I gather accompanying thoughts on the topic and stand ready to learn more, or protect the view I’ve crafted so far.


If someone comes along and pokes fun at my thought, I defend my conclusions. Not sure if I’ve completed my thinking on the subject, but I want to naturally proceed in morphing my thinking in a way that maintains a continuity of logic. Later, I may switch utterly to another stance, but only when ready to do so. I don’t need someone bullying me to change my view just because they think I should.

Argument and debate are like that. They are adversarial. I am comfortable with mutual exploration of topics, of thinking, of weighing pertinent matters on the subject. I avoid adversarial and favor collaboration.


And I favor order. My mind needs time and space to work through a list of topics. There are many items to be considered. Like – charter schools, abortion, gay rights, women’s rights, nurture of immigrants, educational theory and nurturing students to explore their own worlds – things like that. I don’t want people to hi-jack the discussion topics and push my order around theirs. This isn’t about my adopting their ideas but me understanding my ideas. Then we see where we agree or differ. Assessing how and why those views differ is yet another task to undertake.


The process is important. Abridging the process is viewed as a threat from external sources. I don’t accept that pressure. I need time and order to think through my options.


Finding difference is easy. We all have them. We are not 100% in agreement most of the time. We are in general agreement with minor differences present. We accommodate the differences; we are not controlled by them.


Those who magnify differences are seeking something. Power? Influence? Standing?


So easy to do these days. Abortion. Gun controls. Education. Qualifications. Credentials. Religion. Lack of religion. Big government, or small. Pollution. Technology. Republican. Democrat. Conservative. Liberal. Centrist.


See what I mean?


Rather than threaten others, let’s delight in the myriad choices and differences. Allow it to be the food for our brains to exercise their thinking and logic. Exercise is good for the brain. It needs the stretching and bending to keep in shape. Judge not but consider widely. Allow others to think their own way. You have your way. Don’t let them take your way away.


Like new citizens among us – whether born here or immigrant – differences strengthen each of us. Let that happen naturally.


Vive le difference!


June 17, 2019