Whose View?

Is it possible for those with differing opinions to actually communicate and even, gasp, like each other? I have heard it told that it is true, but you can’t prove it by me. In another world, another day and time, people may have respected others and their opinions. Heck, they might have even been open minded enough to consider that another opinion might just be valid. No more, because those days have long past. We live in a right or fight society. It has become our norm to be myopic while proclaiming to be open minded and generous with our consideration of different points of view. Let’s be clear. Perspective is everything. Is your view from the cheap seats or do you stand at the podium? It matters more than anyone wants to think. Perhaps it is not exactly riveting to say that perspective alters the view on issues but it is accurate and often overlooked. Often, I have found that those with differing opinions are just as genuine in their consideration as I was in mine. We just came to different conclusions. We chose to root for different teams.

Judgment is clouded by life experience. It would be nice if we were all on the same page. Well, actually it would be terrifying if we were all on the same page. What if we were collectively wrong and there was no one to lead us out of our judgmental fog? It would be nice if we could legitimately consider the view of others. Maybe we don’t share the same rose colored glasses but a little consideration is free.

This week the Facilities Committee shot down the proposed County Complex. To be fair, many in the County simply didn’t know or care that issue was on the table for consideration. And, that is a core problem, the unwillingness to engage. But there were some, most notably in the County Seat, that were vehemently opposed to the defection of County offices from the historic town square in Dandridge. Most were driven by a combination of opposition to more County debt and a fear that a mass exodus would topple the currently viable historic area. They did what concerned citizens, concerned tax payers, should do and they made their voices heard. Granted, they were speaking to a Commission that largely shared their view but if they opened just one mind up to a different point of view, and I believe that they did, it was worth the effort. Sometimes that one vote that reconsiders is the swing vote and that can mean everything.

While I have been clear that I was no fan of the County pulling out of their current location and I am much relieved that the issue, at least for now, appears to be swimming with the fishes, it does not mean that I harbor ill will toward those that did not share my point of view. For those that missed the Facilities Meeting, big issues were decided. Elected officials lobbied their convictions but there was no drama. Sides plead their cases, votes were taken and the meeting ended on a congenial note. It is wonderful to champion a cause but in politics and horseshoes there is a winner and a loser. And, on any given day the perspective can shift and so can the score.

“Indiscriminate tolerance and indiscriminate condemnation are not two opposite: they are two variants of the same evasion,” – Ayn Rand

This is so true in real life and in politics where strange bedfellows and political fr-enemies make the world turn. To engage is golden. To enrage, while often having short lived productivity, is risky-like a wildfire that cannot be controlled. Perspective while defining, should never be confining, and the willingness to consider is priceless. After all, you never know who will end up sharing your pillow.