So, the other day, I was riding in the car with someone I love and respect very much. I can't remember what the topic was, but this person replied, "Well, it's because you feel you always have to be right." I was not insulted or hurt, it was said in the most loving way possible. But, it got me thinking, do I always have to be right?
Here's what I think: I don't always have to be right, but I do want people to understand why I feel the way I do about things. I don't really care if people agree with me, but I like to be understood. I think it's my mom's fault. She always taught me to try to see every side of a situation and everybody's point of view. Whether it's about religion, politics, or favorite restaurants, she told me I should try to understand why people feel the way they do. Maybe that's why I enjoy Jodi Picoult books. I don't always agree with the subject matter she tackles, but by the time I'm through with the story, I get why "the other side" believes their angle.
I don't always "get it", but I do try very hard to understand. Then, my sense of fairness kicks in, and I get frustrated when I fell like the other person isn't even trying to see my point of view. My heart says, "Hey, I'm trying to understand your side, why can't you try to see mine?" Then I start to try harder to get them to understand. I can get why people might get the impression that I have to be right.
There is a song by Depeche Mode that says it very well:
Somebody, by Depeche Mode
I want somebody to share
Share the rest of my life
Share my innermost thoughts
Know my intimate details
Someone who'll stand by my side
And give me support
And in return
She'll get my support
She will listen to me
When I want to speak
About the world we live in
And life in general
Though my views may be wrong
They may even be perverted
She'll hear me out
And won't easily be converted
To my way of thinking
In fact she'll often disagree
But at the end of it all
She will understand me
Aaaahhhhh....
I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought
With every breath
Someone who'll help me see things
In a different light
All the things I detest
I will almost like
I don't want to be tied
To anyone's strings
I'm carefully trying to steer clear of
Those things
But when I'm asleep
I want somebody
Who will put their arms around me
And kiss me tenderly
Though things like this
Make me sick
In a case like this
I'll get away with it
And in a place like this
I'll get away with it
Aaaahhhhh....
Anyway, I was just thinking...
Friday Bits Dance Party
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