If everyone thought, acted and believed the same, life might be easier, but most certainly dull. We're not the same, so the differences make our lives interesting.
So the question is, how do (we)/(you) handle these differences?
Spouse, children, parents, relatives, neighbors, schoolmates, co-workers, bosses, community and government leaders, and people we meet.
Without getting into any details about your own beliefs, just consider the vast differences we confront every day.
-Your mom doesn't like your spouse.
-The kids are growing up in a different type of society (outside your home)
-Your cousin Charley is totally political... a loudmouth and insistent about his beliefs.
-Aunt Mary married into a different religion and joined her husbands faith.
-People of a different race/religion/age bracket/etc. have moved into the neighborhood and are looking to be included.
-Your immediate circle of contacts seem to be of like mind on major beliefs, and you don't share them.
-People who you must interact with, have a different set of moral values.
You get the idea... differences... and differences that are not always silent.
Certainly, no easy answer, and no one-line solutions. None of us is that simple. So some situations we avoid. Some we ignore, listen and don't respond. Some we engage and voice our own thoughts. Others, we may grit our teeth, and in the interest of peace and friendship, simply smile and agree.
The toughest and most sensitive conversations are probably about politics and religion. The latter, easier to handle or avoid, but the former, a natural battleground... especially in today's atmosphere.
After spending a quarter century living in communal environments... with retirees, we've found that most of these people adjusted, without open animus. Perhaps because the communities were relatively small... several hundred people with similar backgrounds (working-man) middle income, and brought together by the thoughtful choice of community. Not all of course, but the vast majority. The oddball egoistic, narrowminded and mouthy ones receive a laissez faire acceptance that keeps the peace.
Today, with most of our neighbors and friends in the early seventies up to those who are older than 100, age has leveled the playing field, and almost no one is willing to take on hot issues.
But back to the original question... for those who aren't yet passively happy, and who deal with a more varied assortment of people and opinions. While we talk about the "get off my lawn" approach, very few actually follow this philosophy.
How do you handle the differences in the world around you? You can't be a true curmudgeon, or you wouldn't be posting here, and a one line answer to face the different situations is just impossible. More like a philosophy of your interaction with a very varied society.
So the question is, how do (we)/(you) handle these differences?
Spouse, children, parents, relatives, neighbors, schoolmates, co-workers, bosses, community and government leaders, and people we meet.
Without getting into any details about your own beliefs, just consider the vast differences we confront every day.
-Your mom doesn't like your spouse.
-The kids are growing up in a different type of society (outside your home)
-Your cousin Charley is totally political... a loudmouth and insistent about his beliefs.
-Aunt Mary married into a different religion and joined her husbands faith.
-People of a different race/religion/age bracket/etc. have moved into the neighborhood and are looking to be included.
-Your immediate circle of contacts seem to be of like mind on major beliefs, and you don't share them.
-People who you must interact with, have a different set of moral values.
You get the idea... differences... and differences that are not always silent.
Certainly, no easy answer, and no one-line solutions. None of us is that simple. So some situations we avoid. Some we ignore, listen and don't respond. Some we engage and voice our own thoughts. Others, we may grit our teeth, and in the interest of peace and friendship, simply smile and agree.
The toughest and most sensitive conversations are probably about politics and religion. The latter, easier to handle or avoid, but the former, a natural battleground... especially in today's atmosphere.
After spending a quarter century living in communal environments... with retirees, we've found that most of these people adjusted, without open animus. Perhaps because the communities were relatively small... several hundred people with similar backgrounds (working-man) middle income, and brought together by the thoughtful choice of community. Not all of course, but the vast majority. The oddball egoistic, narrowminded and mouthy ones receive a laissez faire acceptance that keeps the peace.
Today, with most of our neighbors and friends in the early seventies up to those who are older than 100, age has leveled the playing field, and almost no one is willing to take on hot issues.
But back to the original question... for those who aren't yet passively happy, and who deal with a more varied assortment of people and opinions. While we talk about the "get off my lawn" approach, very few actually follow this philosophy.
How do you handle the differences in the world around you? You can't be a true curmudgeon, or you wouldn't be posting here, and a one line answer to face the different situations is just impossible. More like a philosophy of your interaction with a very varied society.