Tuesday, September 8, 2009

People are People


Let people be who they are. Don't try to change them. Let them have their own likes and dislikes. Don’t force your own beliefs on everyone around you. We tend to want people to like the things we like and share in our beliefs. I think it's because by others sharing our ideas, it validates our own. In reality, it is the people that oppose us that bring us to question our own beliefs and in the end make us grow. The people who have had the greatest impact on the world are usually those who have opposed the beliefs of the many. Christopher Columbus, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King are just a few of the many examples that come to mind. I will bet that those being opposed felt uncomfortable, angry and frustrated with these ideas and the persistence of these three individuals when they were opposing them. I bet they sat around criticizing and wanting to put an end to what they believed to be nonsense or some form of betrayal. Although not on such a grand scale, we are opposed daily by others and their beliefs. We too become irritated and frustrated. Much of what we may hear or say, goes against what we were raised to believe in and it immediately raises our defenses. Everything you know and believe in, is a direct result of what you were told and the things that you have experienced as a child and adult but that alone will not make it true. Holding on to these ideas without having others question them would make us stagnant in our beliefs and allow little room for growth. I know it will sound crazy but we should welcome those with different beliefs, likes, dislikes wants and needs. Listen to what they have to say. See what kind of support they may have for their ideas. In the end, even if you don’t agree with them, agree that opposition makes us think out our positions and that can never be a bad thing.

“Having a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing”,
Dr. Wayne Dyer

2 comments:

Mary said...

That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard/read. I couldn't disagree with you more. What were you thinking when you wrote this?

Did it work? Haha. Just kidding but I wanted to test you and see if you'd get upset by my comment or welcome it.

Alex said...

Yes it did work momentarily, thanks for that jolt of reality.