Compromise

No two people are alike. All different things make up who we are. It is therefore almost impossible for people to agree about everything. What we are then left with is compromise.

A world that is filled with different points of view, trying to live together under one umbrella, if each one of us presses our position so far and in no way gives ground, that umbrella starts to shrink, and many are left in the rain. Realistic minds understand this, but there are many that take the approach “My way or the highway.” A bill can be submitted to the United States Congress, presenting a specific point of view that has a list of regulations attached to it that have to be adopted in order for it to be carried out. As this bill makes it way through Congress, in order for it to proceed forward, compromises have to be reached, so that at the end of the journey, this bill can become law. Many times the bill that was initially presented can look very different once it reaches the stage of law. If the presenter of the bill stuck to each line, the chances of it ever becoming law would be almost nil. The same can be said, in many cases, for life.

Our relationships are full of compromises. But in certain instances rules do have to be followed….for example, if Mom and Dad say you have to be in by ten in the evening, in the child’s best interest this rule should be followed. As one gets older, compromise becomes more and more important in the health and development of relationships. Each week-end a family can make plans on what it wants to do to enjoy its time together. How much fun can be had if all the family does is do what one member wants? Dad may want to go to a ballgame…. Mom may want to go to the zoo. And the children would rather go to the movies. What do you do? How about a movie about a baseball player who hits a home run into the zoo? Life is very rarely that simple (ha!)

Hey, we all see things a little differently sometimes. But if we can respect each other’s feelings, hopefully we can find common ground, where we all can have some harmony.

Life is meant to be shared,