The View from the Fence
I’m a hard fence sitter. I can’t help it.
For the most part, when it comes to intensely debated topics, I can see both sides. Choosing right vs wrong seems impossible. Some may see this indecision as a weakness. I don’t necessarily agree. I admire people who wholeheartedly stand by their ethics and are willing to take action. To make a change. We need you.
I’m just not you.
Every experience I work through. Every story I hear. Every situation I see. It changes me. I’m not the same person as I was yesterday, last month, ten years ago. And I can promise I’ll be different again tomorrow. The changes can be minor, or at other times more significant. Sure, there are certain core beliefs that I’ll likely hold until the day I die, but seriously can I guarantee that?
Is there ever enough information available to us to take an educated stance that is 100% irrefutable?
I say no.
Ha! Did I just contradict my own theory here? Dammit I’m right and you’re wrong! Read between my fence posts.
There are certain volatile topics that I’ve been on both sides of. Situations where I thought I was hard left and I found myself right. Other times hard right, and then a swift switch left. I’m not just talking about politics. This extends into other topics, like religion. Let’s be real… even scientists battle it out in the field.
But are there really any facts? You can take yourself down the rabbit hole of what a fact is or isn’t. I’m just wondering who gets to decide the universal truth that we all seek? Don’t we as humans have the free will to seek our own truth?
This is the point.
Life is about finding evidence. Collecting data. Making informed decisions. But we only know what we know. And spoiler alert, you’re not omniscient.
I think more important than being right, might be to look into why you are so defensive about proving your point. Why does someone else’s belief or stance intimidate you? Why does it make you angry, anxious, sad, [insert any other feeling here.]?
Watch how this played out for me…
