Wednesday, February 15, 2012

On the Fence

Many people are on one side of the fence or the other. Some  of us wonder if its greener on the other side and take a leap of faith to find out. Others of us like to sit on the fence. I am one of those.

Am I uncertain?
Am I indecisive?
Am I uncommitted?

I think sometimes I am all of the above. Mostly, I am someone who likes to listen to both sides and take the information from each side that works for me.

I just I explained to someone that I am not much of a debater.
I call myself a fence sitter. I admit that I veer away from controversy and conflict.  It doesn't mean I don't feel strongly about things but I am always open to hearing another point of view.

It isn't such a bad thing to be "on the fence" once in a while because it means that you are taking a moment to see both sides which will either reaffirm your position or reposition you.
 Being "on the fence"  doesn't mean that you have to climb all the way over but it allows you to see things differently or see something new.

We are products of our environment, our families and our experiences. People influence us daily and have done so our entire lives. I am just noticing how many times I have fought a position that I had because that is what I learned from my parents or another person who influenced me. For instance, going to a chiropractor. I heard time and time again that it is bad for you. Without knowing much about it, I refused to go and tried to fight my case without the knowledge behind it. After years of discomfort and often pain, I opened myself up to understanding it better and learning more about it and found that it has actually helped me feel better.  I fought against it without truly taking the time to understand it better.

Politics are the same way. As we are growing up, we are learning our political views from the people around us. Unless we take the time to really understand both sides, how can we really make a clear choice. No one can really say that one political view is absolutely perfect. Sometimes, I believe, winning seems to be more important to people than being knowledgable about what we are debating about.  It seems to be more important to clash and fight against each other rather than come together for the common good.

Things change. So, what you saw on the other side of the fence some time ago , may have changed since then.


http://www.timsgardencentre.com.

The point is that if you never leave your side of the fence and never take a chance to sit on it once in a while and contemplate the view on both sides,  you might be missing out on a new perspective (or it may confirm the one you already have.)

Are you a fence sitter?

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