As I am getting ‘older,’ I am witnessing a change taking place in relationships that I have held for many years. Perhaps we all start to set in our ways more as we age. Through different experiences and influences we gain over time, we shape our ideologies and really set our feet into them as time carries on. There is nothing wrong with knowing what you believe about social justice, politics, and so forth. The part that is not so comforting, is how to keep love for one another and not allow those different ways of thinking divide us. I really believe the mantra of agreeing to disagree needs to be practised more the older we get. If we allow our differences to segregate us and leave a chip on our shoulder towards people we grew up loving, what does that really say about our character. It takes a lot of guts to be able to walk away from a discussion with someone you thought you knew, and still have love for them when they disagree with you. When these differences in ideologies occur, it may mean that your relationship will change to a degree, and that is okay. Yet, it is not an excuse to hold a grudge against someone, just because they do not see things they way you see it. I hope to learn and discover as I mature, a way to convey my beliefs and ideologies without making others feel that their opinions do not count against mine. None of us really know where someone is coming from until we have walked many miles in their shoes. Is it natural for us to want to convert everyone into the same ideological motivations our minds hold- of course, it is only human of us. If we can grow in our maturity of how to discuss politics, social justice, even religion, perhaps there would be a little more peace and love in our world than war. At the end of it all, it takes effort from everyone on all ends of the spectrum to be able to sit down and discuss issues, then walk away with mutual love and respect for others when they disagree with you. Maybe if we leave an intense discussion with a hand shake or a hug, versus a scowl on our faces and roll of our eyes, we would learn that it is an act of humility and maturity to say here is what I believe, now I want to hear what you believe- lets see where we can meet in the middle. Humility, selflessness, admitting you may be wrong at times, and listening to others experiences versus making a judgment call from one comment will eventually breed love, peace, and just perhaps some solutions to the many issues our culture and world face. So the next time we find ourselves in a heated discussion with a friend, relative, or colleague- just ask yourself where is the love in all of this? How can I gain understanding of this persons views and share mine in a peaceful way with an understanding heart and attitude. We won’t be able to solve all the worlds problems, but we can still be friends after we share our convictions.

∼live your journey true∼