Are we soft?
I met someone recently that is, oh, to put it lightly, not the most uplifting olde chap. He’s negative and sarcastic, and I rarely heard kindness slip through his lips. But he intrigued me, with his prickles and stings exterior. And as we became friends, I had the opportunity to watch him interact with other people, some of whom wrote him off immediately. Now as a gal with a tendency to lean on people pleasing, my gut reaction was to try and smooth things over, polish off his rough edges, and set everything right for all parties involved.
But then I started thinking…
Why *can’t* people say things that are disagreeable anymore? I mean, outside of saying things that are universally accepted as being offensive, what happened to open discourse?
I feel like so many are in this place where we have to completely affirm what others say when we’re having a conversation. Rather than risk ruffling a few feathers and standing up for something you’re truly convicted about, we just try to make our points clear while also agreeing with opposing parties.
It doesn’t make sense to me anymore. Wouldn’t we, as a society, sharpen our minds if we were more resolute in our opinions and conversations? I’m not negating having an open mind. What I want to do away with is the urge to never step on any toes in our thoughts or convictions. Because so many people won’t grow that way. And then there’s this generation of people who are more concerned with making everyone feel good about what they think, rather than what may be right, or challenging their views with offering up what may be wrong.
I want to have the guts to ruffle a few feathers. Not for the sake of ruffling…but for the growth of me and the people I’m surrounded by.