Agree To Disagree: A Guide to Peaceful Living
From Black Eyed Storie
As we move closer to the election, you might feel more challenged by differing opinions, beliefs and ideologies. But, we’ve been here before! Look at these vintage buttons!
Divisiveness in the public arena isn’t new.
Listen to the audio above to hear some ways that I have learned to move forward and keep my peace.
Peace
—Marcie
Each of us exists within echo chambers.
Each of us deserves an opinion.
You will only confirm their ideology.
You will only attract more bees.
Everyone has a stake in this.
Not everyone has a vote.
Ignorance is a boundary.
A boundary is a start.
It's always a bit startling and fascinating that there is really nothing new under the sun... I went to a wonderful musical- "8 Track- The Sounds fo the 70s"- last night and was reminded of how literally everything that is seems folks are protesting right now are the issues that were being protested 50 years ago... Just like seeing all the political campaign buttons you shared, I found myself thinking, "Here we are again." And the fascinating part about being here again is that we are still here- living, breathing, laughing, crying, screaming, sulking. Somehow, we have survived, even thrived in some places. Somehow, we are still given the opportunity to dream and build a world that is better for us all, in whatever ways we can. And so it goes, and so it goes... Peace to you Marcie. May we follow your lead in seeking community amidst the noise, trusting that, ultimately, we are made for so much more than this.
LOL "... someone's gonna try to Jesus me into ...." OMG SO much truth! And I'm going to start using that phrase, i.e., "Don't try to Jesus me into ...!" You made my day and made me laugh with that one statement.
AND. Thank you for your insight into the value of me spending my time trying to change the minds of those who will not be swayed. I have berated myself more than once for not being willing to have a conversation to understand the POV of people who disagree with me. But my sane self screams out, "THERE IS NOTHING TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE POV OF A RACIST!" Or misogynist or, or, or. I think this has been a form of gaslighting of us that we owe it to others to understand where they are coming from in all their inhumane and immoral glory.
Two cliches that I have found helpful for me (and aren't cliches often just grains of truth?): 1.) I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to and 2.) I am not responsible for educating the willfully ignorant. Peace, Marcie