Five Minute Friday – Agree

posted in: Writing | 4

agree

It’s time for another rousing round of “what can your brain come up with in five minutes and can your fingers keep up?!” Otherwise known as Five Minute Friday.

Today’s writing prompt is: Agree.

Five minutes are on the clock…GO

Agree or disagree? It seems that we are at a point in our country when agreeing or disagreeing are drawing a line in the sand depending on which side you fall on. Tensions are running high, everyone has an opinion and with the dawn of social media and (ahem) blogs, everyone has a platform to voice their opinion.

Opinions are important but we have evolved to the point where if someone does not agree with stated opinion, they are the enemy.

When is it okay to agree to disagree? I have found myself deciding how much disagreement I am willing to accept from people in my life whom I formerly wouldn’t have given a second thought. How important are my decisions, opinions, and beliefs? How important our yours? If we don’t agree on every single thing, can we continue forward in relationship?

There are times when it is not okay to agree to disagree. Off the top of my head, those times would be when someone’s life is in jeopardy because of a belief system or opinion. If intentional harm or conflict is caused because of a disagreement, then agreeing to disagree is a moot point.

I often have friends asking my advice about disagreements they have or what side they should take and I find myself giving the advice…what hill are you willing to die on? If you are not willing to “die on a hill” over a certain issue then I guess it’s okay to disagree. However, it seems that fewer and fewer people are even willing to examine which hills are worth dying on and demand agreement or termination of the relationship.

STOP!

Whew, that was a difficult topic to articulate.

Have you been in a relationship or situation when you were willing to disagree and continue being in relationship with that person?

4 Responses

  1. Jennifer

    How sad – but true – that it does seem that to disagree automatically makes one the enemy! Goodness. Great thoughts…and, yes, a hard one to completely articulate!

  2. Christine Carter

    These five-minute posts are speaking to my heart- and this one especially is such a hard reality of our current culture. We are living in extremes and it is crumbling any thoughtful productive communication, leaving no room for progress in any direction with any issue we face. Sigh.

    Well written, my friend.

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