All things aside
Fandango’s Provocative Question #197 asks us:
When I was younger, I would have said no. Now I’m older and I can say yes.
In the years between being young and being not so young, I learned there are more important things about people than just one thought or one belief. In the years between being not so young and being old, I learned that it’s arrogant to believe that my beliefs are the only beliefs that are correct. If we take the time to look, despite some differences in thinking, all of us are far more similar than we think. So I don’t really care who someone voted for or what type of food they eat. Just because we vote or eat differently doesn’t mean there aren’t a bunch of other things we can agree on and share.
“I love you just the way you are.” – Billy Joel
There’s always a ‘but’ though, and while this has nothing to do with political ideologies, I thought I’d throw it in. People who are disrespectful, rude and unkind, that type of personality in anyone is difficult.
Michael B. Fishman
Michaelsfishbowl 
Right on!
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Interestingly, as I’ve gotten older, and particularly since the start of this century, I have become less tolerant of those with political perspectives that are antithetical to my own than I was when I was younger. It’s not so much that I feel I’m right and that anyone who doesn’t share my perspectives is wrong, as much as it is that people seem to no longer be open-minded or to be willing to have an intelligent conversation about politics or religion. And if that’s who they are, I don’t want to waste my time or theirs trying to find a common ground.
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I agree with you Fan. I know one person with whom I can have an intelligent conversation about politics but it only goes so far because their views are so far to the right and that inevitably comes into play. A person can only ‘agree to disagree’ so much.
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Beautiful post! It’s wonderful when people can disagree yet converse in an intelligent manner. They are my kind of people! (As well as those who are of the mindset, “Let’s agree to disagree.”) There’s no reason for people to get so nasty if they disagree with someone. Luckily, in my experiences, I see it more on the internet than in real life. I imagine people are more feisty when they are alone behind their computers. Or maybe they are drinking a bit too much and should be dancing or something, but definitely not online! 🙂
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Dancing trumps everything! Of course then the two dancers could debate the best music to dance to. I mentioned agreeing to disagree in the comment above to Fandango, and while it’s the best way to maintain civility, it gets difficult after awhile.
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