In the latest sample from my upcoming book, I share a poem I originally wrote in 2018 as I was rhyming my way through How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I begin the passage expressing why I don't do politics.
The Good aren’t all Good, and the Bad
aren’t all Bad
I do not like
discussing politics personally or virtually. I have observed most people that
choose one party over another will extol the virtues of their party and glaze
over the bad things. You must choose the whole package. And the opposition party,
no matter what good they do, you place a magnifying glass over the bad. And no
one who is active in politics is willing to step across the aisle. They can’t
spell cooperate, much less do it.
We have all
been guilty of bias at one time or another. It could be one thing or another,
but it’s all wrong. You can’t even tell anyone why you think what you do about a
person or a group. Chances are it’s born out of tradition.
Having spent
my adult years going to church, I have heard from people who were steeped in
tradition things that are wrong with other denominations. It may be a very
minor thing, but there are some who will take a broad brush and paint the group
in a very unflattering way.
The same
thing goes with people. If someone has done us wrong in the past, that is no
reason to dislike them forever. They may have committed one wrong, but don’t focus
on that wrong. You may be missing out on seeing a tremendous person. Whether or
not you are a Christian, learn how to forgive.
Don’t base
your opinions on something you read in a supermarket tabloid or *gasp* on
Facebook. Find a way to get to know the person, place, or issue. Think for
yourself, look with your own eyes, and you will see things differently.
One last
thing. Please don’t judge another because they are expressing something
contrary to how you believe.
If they are not doing it right
It’s not necessarily a blight
To win them, you should
Always look for the good
And soon, to all, they’ll delight
And I do not
consider opinions spoken against my beliefs as “hate speech.”
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