Against

The other day I posted something on Facebook and immediately got a reaction from a person who was against what I was posting. And this is what Facebook is all about, we can express our opinions at the drop of a hat; sparking discussions that can be ~ yet not always are ~ quite productive. As such, I truly do like Facebook as a platform!

But this interaction made me think.

Because when someone is against something, this is probably because they have ~ at least in their mind ~ a very good reason. And even if it is not a factual truth, it is clearly a personal truth, which is in many cases just as, if not more important. At least to that person.
Often we are much more likely to react from a point of our ‘personal truth’, a point of our experience, than we are from a perspective of factual truth. And in and of itself this is not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.

On the other hand, if that is the case, being against something might be followed by something like: “I don’t believe that to be true” or “I think there are better ways to accomplish this”. That then, could be the start of a meaningful discussion that could enrich not only those who are expressing their opinions, but also those who are reading along on Facebook (in this case).

This time I was told that there are plenty of better ways to accomplish what I was posting about, then the actual manner I posted. Yet when I asked what those would be, the answer was that I should just google it…
That seems like an easy way out.

It also seems like it is a perspective that is just against something, without a willingness to look at how it can be made better. And all that is left is “Being against …”

“Being against …” is something that comes up more and more often.
Just as there are people who are ‘bending over backward’ in order to make the world ~ or at least their world, their environment ~ a better place, there are people who “Are against …”. Often from an angry or indignant attitude.

It is a way in which polarities are coming to the surface.

That being said, it leaves me with a couple of interesting questions to ponder…
If I feel I am against something, am I willing to take that next step and make an alternative approach work?
If this is how polarities come to the surface, where do I show or express indignation?

Chances are that our greatest personal ~ even spiritual ~ growth, lies in the answers to those questions…