Living in this world of extremes like we all do, I now find it necessary to write about how I have been able to comfortably settle somewhere in the middle, on just about everything. With this initial post, I want to lay some framework of where I hope to go with this body of work. For the most part, I will pick topics of conversation, a word or a few words, and write about them from the middle perspective. The extreme points of view have been considered, and many times the rabbit holes followed, until I pull myself out of the abyss of the extremes and fall back to my comfortable position in the middle. There is comfort in the middle, it is OK to seek comfort, to be comfortable.
My feelings are so strong in these regards, that one of my primary goals in life is simply to gently file down the extremists and their sharp, lonely points of view, and gently try to urge them back towards the comfortable middle. Most of us don't want to stand out in our points of view. Most of us like to know that our thoughts are shared by others, this is called affirmation. Friends I tell you that in this world we now live in, with the extremists literally hogging the screens, and monopolizing our thoughts with their limited perspective media outlets, it is time those of us in the middle step out of our comfort zones and stay silent no longer. There are many more of us here in the middle!
It is important to gently file the extremists with love and not aggression. Let them know that you can understand some parts of their point of view, but keep falling back to the comfort in the middle. Understand also that the extremism doesn't just stretch in one direction. There are at least two extreme points of view on all topics. Just bringing the extremists a step off the cliff is a step in the right direction. Rarely will you be able to do this in one meeting, so have patience.
There are a few techniques for filing, and I would like to share them now. First it is most important to find common ground with the extremist. Rarely is an extremist an extremist on everything! Keep searching until you find something that you can comfortably fall back on in-case the conversation escalates. Secondly, do not let the extremist monopolize the conversation towards the extreme topic. Kindly listen, consider and maybe chime in with a considerate thought in the other direction, but make sure to change topics back to the common ground from time to time. This change in conversation doesn't have to be done abruptly or rudely, but change is an action word and it must be initiated. This skill you will build over time. Lastly, overwhelm them with kindness. Many times extremists are also seeking confrontation because they thrive on it. If their extremism is bad enough, you must meet this with extreme love and kindness in the other direction, simply to file them back towards the middle.
Depending on how much filing you do with those around you, you will also need to find that peace of mind when you are alone. Meditate, pray, go for a walk, exercise, work in the garden; these all work for me. Filing extremists can put chinks in your armor so you will need to recuperate. Fellow filers can also find peace and strength in the friendship of each other. Fill up that well as often as you need to; you are only alone if you choose to be!
After some years of filing extremists, it is my hopes that we can all enjoy our comfortable existence in the middle and live happily ever after. Let there be peace, joy, love, consideration and cooperation in the middle! Let all of us flock to the middle! Let all of us dance and sing in the middle! Let all of our joy and laughter drown out the shouts and rants until they exist no more, right here in the middle!
My feelings are so strong in these regards, that one of my primary goals in life is simply to gently file down the extremists and their sharp, lonely points of view, and gently try to urge them back towards the comfortable middle. Most of us don't want to stand out in our points of view. Most of us like to know that our thoughts are shared by others, this is called affirmation. Friends I tell you that in this world we now live in, with the extremists literally hogging the screens, and monopolizing our thoughts with their limited perspective media outlets, it is time those of us in the middle step out of our comfort zones and stay silent no longer. There are many more of us here in the middle!
It is important to gently file the extremists with love and not aggression. Let them know that you can understand some parts of their point of view, but keep falling back to the comfort in the middle. Understand also that the extremism doesn't just stretch in one direction. There are at least two extreme points of view on all topics. Just bringing the extremists a step off the cliff is a step in the right direction. Rarely will you be able to do this in one meeting, so have patience.
There are a few techniques for filing, and I would like to share them now. First it is most important to find common ground with the extremist. Rarely is an extremist an extremist on everything! Keep searching until you find something that you can comfortably fall back on in-case the conversation escalates. Secondly, do not let the extremist monopolize the conversation towards the extreme topic. Kindly listen, consider and maybe chime in with a considerate thought in the other direction, but make sure to change topics back to the common ground from time to time. This change in conversation doesn't have to be done abruptly or rudely, but change is an action word and it must be initiated. This skill you will build over time. Lastly, overwhelm them with kindness. Many times extremists are also seeking confrontation because they thrive on it. If their extremism is bad enough, you must meet this with extreme love and kindness in the other direction, simply to file them back towards the middle.
Depending on how much filing you do with those around you, you will also need to find that peace of mind when you are alone. Meditate, pray, go for a walk, exercise, work in the garden; these all work for me. Filing extremists can put chinks in your armor so you will need to recuperate. Fellow filers can also find peace and strength in the friendship of each other. Fill up that well as often as you need to; you are only alone if you choose to be!
After some years of filing extremists, it is my hopes that we can all enjoy our comfortable existence in the middle and live happily ever after. Let there be peace, joy, love, consideration and cooperation in the middle! Let all of us flock to the middle! Let all of us dance and sing in the middle! Let all of our joy and laughter drown out the shouts and rants until they exist no more, right here in the middle!
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