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Why I don't talk about my views on this blog

The other night we had a friend over for dinner. There are many things on which we see eye to eye and maybe some things that probably we don't necessarily see the same way. Yet, I always enjoy talking to this person. I have been thinking about why that is. I believe it comes down to this: we respect each other. The topic the other night was all about vaccinations. Our last two children are the same age and this friend was curious about how we dealt with vaccinations with all the conflicting ideas out there. I informed him of the ones we get on time, the ones we delay (for seizure risk) and the ones we oppose because they are generated from cells from aborted babies. He later went home and did some research on his own and then came back and we discussed the last category in more depth. Never did he say I was crazy. Never did we raise our voices or did the discussion ever feel tense. Usually I feel very confronted and attacked when talking about these things with my family members who disagree with me. It was just a friendly discussion. I was not trying to change his mind, nor he mine.

I don't understand why these issues have to be so volatile when being discussed. This blog post the other day really made me think. So did this one. And especially this one. I don't typically share my views here on this blog. I feel it is a personal thing for one. But also, I figure that if one sees that I am a Catholic homeschooling mama with several children, people probably have a pretty good idea where I stand on most issues. Lastly, I don't like confrontation. I get anxious and upset. The other night made me realize that these hot topics can be discussed civilly, without name-calling and ugliness.

I am not even sure where I was going with all this except that I am grateful to have had that experience. It gives me hope.


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  1. KarenAugust 3, 2012 at 1:10 PM

    I don't like conflict either. I do like respectful dialogue. We all have a story and a reason to stand where we stand. I am interested in that. I am not interested in heavy-handed stereotypes and rude name-calling. Our country seems to have lost the ability to give and take with mutual honor.

    Sad about that.

    ReplyDelete

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