POV

I began the January 3, 2018 post with these comments:

In our postmodern world marked by: 

• Selfish individualism that has led to conflict, family decomposition, riots, and neglect.
• Narcissistic hedonism that has produced 300,000 babies born each year with their mother's drug addiction, family entertainment filled with raunch and violence, an abortion epidemic.
• Deconstructive morality based on what each individual believes is right or wrong. 
• Political correctness, a form of coercion, that has depersonalized humans and leads to the loss of human freedom

---we need an anchor, a true-north compass, a ruddered ship, a "why" to live a life rich in good deeds.  We need God, a God we can depend on.

A lifelong friend, a friend worth respecting for her wisdom, warmth and kindness commented: Wow, is our society now that bad? Is it so much worse than in “the good old days”? The only thing I checked was the abortion rate, which NPR said in January fell to the lowest level since Roe v Wade. I see our country in a more favorable light.

I replied: Thanks Sheron for your insight. Perhaps I should have omitted the lead because it is negative and debatable depending on one's POV. If you notice the Rockwell painting (done in "the good old days") shows both negative and positive views of society and foreshadows the blog post. As Peter Pan said, "Oh, how clever I am."

Sheron didn't think I was all that clever, instead she replied: As for POV, I may be weird but I didn’t see Rockwell’s “Saying Grace” as negative, I see two young men curious about a family saying grace in a public restaurant; perhaps their life experience and home life was different.

My reply: Thanks for the stimulating conversation. Interesting how people interpret the same thing in different ways. Please keep commenting. I can learn a lot from you and it will stretch my mind.

Fascinating!!! I saw the Rockwell painting entirely differently from Sheron’s POV. I saw two punks that were about to snatch the old lady’s purse and bully the kid.

Come to think of it, others might consider the praying lady and boy as Christian bigots interfering with the meal of hard working young men.

Sheron’s comments opened my eyes to possibilities I hadn’t considered.

She gave me fresh insight. The abortion rate is down.

She opened my eyes to past memories. A bad memory is responsible for "the good old days."

I didn't remember the scourge of the 1950s, McCarthyism, the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. Nor did I remember segregation, the "black only" restrooms, water fountains and waiting rooms.

I remembered, instead, Little League Baseball, spin-the-bottle, and biking to Trout Lake for fishing and dipping.

(I do recall Bear Bryant forsaking The Fightin’ Texas Aggies to coach football at the University of Alabama, a tragic day that can’t be expunged.) 

We tend to block out the desegregation riots of the 60s, the Vietnam War, the 70s drug culture. Did anything happen in 80s and 90s? Personal and career events blur my memory for national events during those times.

Today's challenges loom no worse than those of earlier decades. They are simply different. The delightful events surfacing today transpire freshly. The world isn’t more evil or more progressive. It’s different. 

We can all improve our thinking when we become open minded to other viewpoints. 

Instead of slamming the dialogue door shut, listen. Let’s take a deep breath, count to ten, and listen empathetically to the other POV. Then reflect back on what we heard and listen some more.

After we have listened well, we will have learned some new concepts and expanded our thinking. We may decide to stand firm on our opinions, but by listening to others we will think more clearly.

I courageously defend my opening statement in the January 3, 2018 post. Although the abortion rate is down, we still have an epidemic. 

But, at the same time, thanks to Sheron I have expanded my horizons.

No one has ever won an argument! Let me repeat that: I cannot, you cannot, win an argument. (I’m certain to get some comments on this one.) We can, however, listen with empathy, develop rapport and find ways to communicate our POV more clearly with others.