mettere a fuoco.

The choice to focus on what we don't agree on, rather than what we do, is a good way to get nothing done.

My last post was on the subject of my relationship with God.  Not that this is a new thing, I've posted about my spiritual beliefs reasonably often since I started writing here at 18 years old.  However, this must have been news for some people, because within five hours of publishing that last post, I lost eight followers.

Now, eight really isn't that large of a number.  I'm not going to be delusional enough to think that my blog actually matters in the grand or even not-grand scheme of things.  Not to mention, this blog has never and will never exist for the purpose of gaining followers.  Were that my goal, I would have given up or started posting pictures of my outfits and writing reviews for deep conditioners long ago. 

But I can't help but think that this sudden, unprecedented loss of followers had something to do with the subject matter of that last post.  And when I saw the difference in that little number at the top right hand side of my screen yesterday, I'll admit, my heart hurt a little.

Not because I was offended or because I was shocked about there actually being people out there who don't agree with me.  I already knew this.  And honestly, I don't know that there is a single person in this entire world who I agree with everything on.  Some of them come close, sure, but there's always something that differs between my opinion and theirs.  And that's great.  Because that's how it was meant to be.  We are all our own unique organism.  (For the record, that was organism.  But, you know, we see what we want to see.)  Our perspectives and tastes differ because that's what they do.  It is our nature to disagree.

The reason for the heart hurt is because I've begun to feel that people are becoming increasingly unable to tolerate differences.  I could go on about how awesome diversity is, how tolerance and love really can and do change the world, praise Haile Salassie.  But I'm not a Rastafarian, I hate reggae almost as much as I hate country, and I'm pretty sure you've heard it all before anyway.

I hope you don't misunderstand me.  I am not asking you to follow me or not follow me.  Some people find me positively boring, which I understand.  A select few might find me mildly interesting here and there, which I don't usually understand but appreciate nonetheless.  I want you to do whatever the H you want.  See?  I'm so lame I can't even swear properly.  Why would you follow me?

What I'm asking is that we all make an effort to focus on our similarities, not our differences.  Don't settle.  Don't agree to disagree, that's such passive-aggressive bulsh.  (Yes, bulsh.)  Use your disagreements to stretch yourself a little further.  Disagree, and then grow.  

Because to say you're open-minded, then shun someone for not being the same "kind" of open-minded as you kind of defeats the whole purpose of open-mindedness.  Right?