There’s Good to Come of It

A lot of Good in the world comes as a direct result of Challenges.

Sometimes an extreme, bad situation seems to be needed in order for us as a society to pay attention to problems that need to be addressed.

Personal challenges can lead to the greatest personal growth.    I have noticed that many of the people I admire for their compassion and ability to address problems, have been influenced greatly by the tough times they went through.  Those experiences enable individuals to develop greater empathy, and give them the wisdom and credibility to help others get through their own situations.

There’s a conundrum, though, because when you embrace this concept, it almost seems like you would WELCOME tough times and strife and bad situations.

It’s important to understand that while you can look for the good to come out of a situation, you would never wish for it to occur.  There’s a tension here that is uncomfortable.

For example, let’s say a parent experiences the sickness and death of a child to some disease.  No one would EVER wish for this for anyone.  But has there been good to come out of this kind of situation?  Of course – support groups created, pushes to raise money for cures, greater empathy for others with similar experiences, medical professionals who learn from previous experiences how to support and cure disease.

This is just a contradictory aspect of the world we live in.  Am I wrong?

We could say, no kid should ever get sick and die.  Well, that’s nice to say, and I would agree, but it’s an opinion and not a statement that fits the reality of the world we live in.

So let’s talk about Trump.  Will good come from our experiences of the last four years?  I am willing to bet that LOTs of good will come as a direct result of his presidency.  Having him in office has shown us so many aspects of life in America that need improving.  And I am talking about aspects that are important to BOTH “sides.”

There’s a lot we need to address.  In the end, I think that having ourselves “shaken up” will be a good thing.

Should we have been hoping for a successful overthrow of our government in order to access the good that is to come?

I think the answer is the same as, are you hoping that little kid gets sick and dies?

Let’s Talk About Strife

I guess if there were ever a time to talk about strife, it’s now.  I haven’t written in a long time, partly because of the thought “well who am I to tell anyone how it is” but it just feels like I should say some stuff and put it out there.

I try to take the approach that I sit back and watch.  I try to watch and remain open to various perspectives so that I am seeing the whole picture.  I know I am not really seeing the whole picture (there’s not enough time in the day) so the point of me saying this is that I try to remain open-minded.

There is tremendous pressure now to “take sides”.  And what I find most interesting, is that when you pick a side, you have to agree with everything that “that side” stands for.

And I find myself with mixed opinions and conclusions.  My perspective agrees with one side on some things, and the other side on others.

Realistically, isn’t that the way most of us would be, if it weren’t for the blame/shaming, peer pressuring, fear-mongering, advocating of both sides?

I think there are good points and important things to consider on both sides of most issues that are controversial these days.

“Taking sides” is not terribly useful or productive in helping us move forward.

What is helpful, is careful consideration of all arguments, willingness to see the perspectives of others, and being open-minded.

With that in mind, I’m going to try to get a few posts together and see what happens.