Disagree Without Being Disagreeable

Yesterday I said we need a revolution as opposed to a having resolutions for the new year. A revolution guided by the Golden Rule. I want to amplify something Rick Warren has  written many times; we can disagree without being disagreeable. It seems like many people are just taking sides and no longer listening to the thoughts and opinions of others. People are just written off – liberal – conservative – fundamentalist – leftist – radical right – religious – atheist. Let’s choose another way of relating. Anger, venom, shaming, and bullying need to be abandoned.

Again I want to point out that this begins at the top of the societal food chain. Ask more from your leaders. Playground name calling and bullying is rejected as an appropriate behavior in our schools, sexist actions are confronted, and racism is not tolerated by most thinking people. We need to try to understand why this has been tolerated at the highest levels of leadership. People are angry but we make bad decisions when we are angry. Step back – count to one hundred if you have to but calm down and act in a manner that you would like to be treated. Let’s move in a new direction. Let’s support the revolutionary thinking of disagreement with out being disagreeable. We can disagree and still finds ways of working together?

David met Goliath with five smooth stones and only needed one to defeat the giant as the story goes. Our giant right now is an uncivil society. If our leaders can’t lead us to a more civil dialog with one another we need different leaders. This is not just a prayer I lift up – it’s an action I am taking every day. Join me.

Be Well…