You Are Wrong!
Dear Friend,
I was distracted today by a vigorous “debate” that I stumbled upon on Amazon.com. I never realized just how active the discussion groups at Amazon are, and regarding much more than books!
One such subject was the health care battle that is currently raging in Washington. Now I am not about to chime in on that quagmire. It was clear from what I saw that plenty of what was often rather nasty “discussion” is underway.
The reason I mention this is the fact that so much of what was being written was so ugly. And personal.
I am not naive to the dirty nature of politics. And I am know that this is far from a recent phenomenon. But I was disappointed to see just how angry – or should I say, full of fear – so many of these posts were.
Fear and bitterness was everywhere. The substantive issues, which deserved serious coverage in my opinion, were little touched on between the vitriolic acid that was being thrown in all directions. I doubt very much whether any of these writers seriously intended to persuade the other. What I observed looked more like a war.
Even I could see the potential for common ground between the views being expressed. So much so that I dare say I ventured into the debate, if only to note where I thought the sides might find common ground.
Unfortunately, whatever I added was essentially ignored. I honestly think that I was interfering with these folks’ perverse fun.
Disagreement is everywhere. And there are as many legitimate points of view as there are people who hold them. The real question is, can you respect another person even if his or her opinion differs from yours? Can you recognize how your view might be seen as threatening to another if acted upon, and then try to move that view forward while making clear that you will not execute that threat, and honestly mean the other’s interests no harm?
Yes. There are times when opposing principles cannot be compromised. However, in my experience, these moments are rare. Therefore, I believe that most conflict of this kind is self-imposed. People feed off of the negative energy that it generates. And they bring down everything and everyone around them.
It is critical to understand just how destructive this kind of negative energy can be to you and your family. If you find yourself surrounded by it, you must escape your environment. People engaged in this kind of what is essentially self-destructive behavior will cloud the minds and hearts of all around them, no matter how sincere they may believe themselves to be.
You cannot move your life forward in the direction of your dreams when those around you are emoting this sort of destructive energy.
Who you choose to hang with really can make a huge difference in the likelihood that you will succeed at what really matters in your life.
If people like these are in your circle, even if they are family, get away from them as quickly as you can.
You cannot save them. So save yourself and your family.
Talk to you again soon,
Hugh
