offending

I don't like to offend people. In that I mean, I don't like to stir up controversy or possibly hurt people by what I say. I'd prefer to just have my thoughts and only share them with people who agree with me. It's much simpler that way... however, that's not good. I am beginning to realize that while I am an opinionated person I usually don't want to offend people. I think I have lost out a lot by this. I have realized that I need to put my opinions, my viewpoints out there in the open and be willing to let people criticize them.

It's easy to begin thinking about an issue, whether its war or poverty or immigration, a specific way to a point where we get entirely wrapped up in it. We then begin to think that there is only one "right" way to look at that issue and before long we see ourselves as completely right and everyone else as completely wrong. However, if I am willing to allow people to see my thoughts on an issue, then they are also able to include their view point and I am able to then gather information from all sides (not just both sides, there are very rarely only two sides to an argument).

With that said, I am going to try to start blogging more about what I am learning, processing, seeking, discovering about this very messed up world. I don't mean to offend people with my comments, but I do think it's important for people to think about other sides of an issue. I don't want to just get defensive (which is easy to do), I want to hear people, listen to their values and their reasoning and take it into account. I guess this doesn't just apply in blogging.... but in all of life.