Adlai Stevenson:
I think that one of our most important tasks is to convince others that there's nothing to fear in difference; that difference, in fact, is one of the healthiest and most invigorating of human characteristics without which life would become meaningless. Here lies the power of the liberal way: not in making the whole world Unitarian [Universalist], but in helping ourselves and others to see some of the possibilities inherent in viewpoints other than one's own; in encouraging the free interchange of ideas; in welcoming fresh approaches to the problems of life; in urging the fullest, most vigorous use of critical self-examination.
I always find it funny when a friend I haven't seen in such a long time will tell me I have changed. A smirk will just appear on my face and tell them it's not true. I'm the same person. Just got fat... hehehe.... I may be a bit different but that little kid who used to throw slippers into a can and who had no hair until she turned 3 years old, is still the same kid.... Er... not a kid anymore but I assure you, I am still who I used to be.
I bumped into a friend who I haven't seen in a long while. We were all smiles and set a date because we have a lot of catching up to do. We were both eager to patch up the gap between us. Over dinner, she was looking at me like I had 3 heads. To be honest, we did not like each other to start with (we were high school freshmen when we first met). We talked about a lot of things over dinner (an early dinner), mostly about how things went through in high school and college, sharing laughs and old anecdotes about our teachers and classmates. Old issues resurfaced and here we are, hating each other over again. We lost the smiles on our faces and the air became tensed. She hated me for being laid back. I hated her for being so stiff. She hated me for being tolerant (she said tolerant people are prone to abuse). I hated her for being a skeptic. The meeting ended sour. She hated me for being this and that. I hated her for comparing me to her. What's written should not just be black and white. Everything everyone sees and feels have reasons. I cannot be you and you can't be me and that's it. And it's unnecessary for someone to just walk away because there is this vast facade between us that does not fit the picture (or for her, does not fit her standards for a misc en scene).
Everyone should take pride in his/her own being different. Variety is never boring. What's important is self-examination. You have to be your own critic and not of others because people lead lives, their own lives that is. One way or another, you are going to get tired of them not behaving the way you want them to and in the process get frustrated and walk out. Question is, did you get something out of it?
How about let's just co-exist? I will see things around you and you'll tell me what you see around me... That way, I'm getting something and so are you. You and me coexisting. We may not be the picture but we are part of the picture. Our friendship can be very beautiful if we just apply understanding, compassion and introspection on it. Pure friendship is not that complicated if you'll just let it be.
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