Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas
We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings. Albert Einstein
We don’t agree on many things. We don’t agree with co-workers, neighbors, experts, our government, our spouses, our kids on many levels and many subjects. We have to be okay with not agreeing because what is the alternative? Someone compelled to believe what we believe doesn’t work because compelling someone to act like we are right, doesn’t change the way they think, in fact, this probably leads to passive-aggressive behavior. When we can’t openly disagree we act out our disagreement in other ways.
There are times we should stand our ground and make our point. We also have to know when we’ve made our point. When there is nothing more to be gained except to ruin what we have, what we are standing up for.
Agreeing to disagree is the resolution of a conflict that requires all parties to tolerate the opposing positions, even when they do not accept it as the best choice. We can’t always get what we feel is the best choice because the other party does not feel it is the best choice. Expecting everyone to agree and go through life without disagreeing on what the correct response is; is not the correct response.
The problem appears to me to be how to stand down when we’ve taken a stand without ruining what we had before we took the stand. Often people don’t stand up for what they think is right because they fear the cost of standing up is too high. There is also a cost to not standing up, and there is a cost to not realizing when we’ve made our stand and it is time to stand down.
Maintaining high moral ground is a tough thing to fight. I’m reading that when 3.5% of the people get behind a non-violent movement change happens. One of the ways to destroy such a movement is for it to descend into violence, for people with nefarious purposes, and rabble-rousers to get involved that are looking for a fight.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Unknown
We know in our personal relationships that maintaining high moral ground puts us in the winning position, but when we allow our temper to get the best of us, often we lose any ground we’ve won.
It’s a good place to live, on moral high ground. It’s a good place to build our society, and raise our children. Moral high ground isn’t perfect; it isn’t about not making a mistake as a people, a family, or a government. It is doing the best we can, most of the time with what we had at the time. Looking back we may think if we knew then what we know now we’d have made a different decision. That is the human condition we didn’t know what the unexpected consequences of our actions would be.
Building families, societies, and countries is a messy business. We make decisions with unintended consequences. There are winners and losers and everyone is not happy with outcomes. Everyone would not be happy if the outcome was different.
If we stand on moral high ground, everyone may not think we are right, but when we can look ourselves in the eye and think we’ve done the best with what we had and tried to do the most good for the most amount of people that’s a good way to live a life. Two sides don’t have to agree and they can both think they are standing on moral high ground.
The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Desmond Tutu
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