Tuesday, November 20, 2012

We don't need to agree; we need to learn how to disagree

Every time I stumble upon this truth I am stuck by how profound it is and how completely we forget it. I don't have to agree with you. I don't ever have to agree with you. But if I could disagree with you and still treat you with tolerance, respect and compassion, our world would change. 

Instead we feel threatened. Somehow we think your beliefs and ideas will weaken, invalidate or threaten mine. Once we have gone down that road, it is not hard to take the next step: 'your very existence threatens me.' Intolerance, unhappiness, violence and war is the result.

But if I could acknowledge our bond and give up on the idea that you have to agree with me to substantiate me and my ideas, then I can move into a new space of creativity, respect, and peace. 
Duality, right and wrong, black and white are not really part of the natural world. These are constructs that humanity has created. We have to move past duality to unity. Unity does not mean we agree, it means we are okay to disagree. Unity is when we celebrate our differences and the strength and power that comes from bringing those differences, whether the color of our skin or the disparity of our ideas, together! Unity is our future, duality our past. Let the example of the diversity of nature beatify your world. The verse says to "Love thy neighbor as thyself."There is no mention of agreeing with thy neighbor.
 
 

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