DocAndersen
The reality of elections concerns me right now. First because globally, there is a lot of unrest. I worry about places where friends are struggling with the reality of “unfair” situations. I remember living in Thailand many years ago, and during the time we were there, there was a coup the military overthrew the civilian government. You hear about that, a coup by the military from time to time. I remember as a kid, hearing that world, and not understanding what had happened. Thailand, for me, was my home for now, and I ended up having to look up what a coup was. The news had said it was a bloodless coup. I learned that there are many kinds of coups.
My exposure to politics has always been from the perspective of the free exchange of ideas. I grew up in a university house. Both my parents were open to discussion about the ideas and ideals of the moment. My mother worked for many years in the healthcare world. My father was a university professor. They always asked to understand both sides. To make sure that we didn’t lash out because we could, but to consider the person on the other side of the argument. It helped when we moved for me, to see that the world was different than what was presented where we had lived. I learned in my later business travels that the biggest differences in the world were more related to the government than anything.
I learned from my mother than you can always justify anger. But the reality is if you justify anger, the other person can as well. There are no right answers. If you are the one that escalates to anger, then you are responsible for what happens after that. The reason for this is the current global mood. Entire nations seem angry now. There is so much anger in the world. I suspect it is time to take a step back from the anger and send some positive energy into the world. I have a friend (well a few friends) that are very politically conservative. I have a friend (well a few) that are politically very liberal. Here is the most important thing, they are friends. I don’t care about the politics of now. I worry about the impact on friends.
What profound words and a calming picture. I printed the words for all of my family to read. We need that right now!
I suspect I needed it as well 🙂
Your parents were such amazing people.
THey really were amazing.