I’ve written hundreds of papers and participated in numerous
discussions over the past decade regarding a vast array of issues. In school, it is important to master
the subject. One must be able to
speak to all posed questions with proven understanding.
As I started to present my ideas within the public arena, my
school experience shifted right over with me. I was no longer making a sales pitch to a professor in hopes
of a high grade. Instead, I was
presenting my own ideas in the form of opinion to a group of people who had far
different opinions. When the
debate became cyclical, or if the others did not disagree, it would affect my
opinion of them. They were wrong
and I was right. They were stupid
and I was brilliant. I feel like
an idiot admitting this, but lets go ahead and clear the path.
I’ve already written of political comparisons so I am not
going to go there again. I wanted
to speak of a fascination I have with myself. Whenever I would debate, or write about something I was
truly passionate about (in the past), I always felt like I was the authority,
as well as the moral authority, over the subject matter. This is what I thought in my little
brain. Out of the billions of opinions and billions of personalities, somehow my
way of seeing things was the correct way.
I would be lying if I said this self-righteousness doesn’t pop out now
and again.
It is important for me to pinpoint how this affected my
relationships. As I continued to
push, others began to pull away.
As I insisted, others resisted.
As I stomped my foot, others were crushed. The world became a lonely place, and I was the victim. Right?
How is this so?
For me, it wasn’t just the issues.
I took everything personally.
If it wasn’t Conservative, then I viewed it as offensive (I have grown
to hate this word). If it wasn’t
Christian, then it was satanic and irreparable. So if you weren’t like me, then we weren’t cool.
Over the past few months (election season), many strong, stubborn extremists, from both sides, have arisen and are overbearingly present wherever I look. Discussion no longer exists. All that remains is finger-pointing, damnation, judgement, spite, and the ugliest vitriol I have ever seen. It reminds me of all the time I spent in that dark, lonely place where my time was spent in the study of how to defeat others intellectually and morally. It reminded me that I have no desire to be in that place ever again.
So allow me this moment to laugh at myself. I have become tame. I really enjoy reading the thoughts of
others, especially when the writing is filled with true thought, respect, and
love for other people. The
conversations are fruitful and further the issues at hand. The type of love that should exist,
actually exists.
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." - Philippians 2 v. 3.
Post Script:
I wrote this piece last night and sat on it for a
moment. During this time, I
stumbled across a video on YouTube that supplements this piece well. Give it a whirl through the link seen below.
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