Different Avenues

The last few days have been spent here at home with one of my favorite people. Yep, still sorta in recovery, though other than a little bruising and swelling, I’m fine. All in all, one might infer this as laziness… and one would be right.

Anyway, this favorite person and I have done a few different personality tests we’ve found in books and such. On the surface, she and I would look as different as night and day, but when we start talking values, opinions and ideals, we match up to a T. Yet, the “night and day” part? Yeah, that is just in avenues; the “how to get there” is where we differ.

Flip on any news channel and you’ll hear politicians arguing about anything and everything. While both sides like to categorize the other, I truly, truly believe we’re all working towards the same ends – a better world for everyone. Yet, the directions we take to get there are sometimes quite different.

Here’s a perfect example: homelessness. I believe that each American should help the homeless personally – give money to charities that support the homeless, work in soup kitchens, whatever. She, on the other hand, feels the homeless can best get the attention they deserve by protesting, having “sleep ins” on the stairs of public buildings, etc. Not that I disagree with her, but I think there are better ways to accomplish the goal. Yet, here’s the question: what is our goal? To help the homeless. If so, then we accomplish this how? Well, that’s where the avenues of difference arise – and where I have to stop, re-focus and be sure that I don’t get caught up in how the goal is accomplished, as long as it is.
This is something I need to keep in mind – and something that’s hard to keep in check. For a stoic soul like myself, its sometimes difficult to give up control – but it is, after all, not all about me, but rather what is best overall.