“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Nelson Mandela.
He is a figure who inspired many with his ability to rise far above those who tried to break him with decades in prison.
Add to that the idea that reasonable people may rightly disagree. Reasonable people. Not allow anyone to disagree is unreasonable. Allowing others to disagree is needed for a vibrant, adaptive society to move forward through history. This rides on the idea that one would want their society to thrive.
Having strong convictions does not make anyone automatically right. Neither does having a group that agrees with the believer make anything more true. This bitter battle of belief allows no one to find any shared middle ground.
In the process of disagreement is the notorious statement that if “A” is not acceptable, then “Z” is the only probable choice and is ridiculous, of course. This leaves out the whole rest of the alphabet. Put another way, to be either one extreme or the other allows both opposites to be the worst of choices, which leaves no choose. Hello people, there are many grand and wondrous shades of gray in the universe of good results.
Our system of government in the United States is founded on the principles of compromise and respect for differences. These principles have never been attained perfectly, but remain the standard we strive for. To thrive with respect and compromise, we only need remember the Civil War of the 1860’s. The human cost of the war points out what is produced, anger, bitterness and death.
So the next time that you engage “the enemy”, try to remember we are all of the same species, and have almost universal goals, those being happiness, security, and satisfaction in our various dreams or enterprises. Imagine what it would look like practicing understanding and resolving issues. Rise above.