Written by Mark Eades
While walking my dog, I see a lot of walls and fences between properties, and how each property is different on both sides. It started reminding me of the wonderful lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s song “Both Sides Now” speak of love, love lost, and life. All from “Both Sides Now.” Then ends the song with “I really don’t know life at all.”
“Both sides” applies to the political and social discourse conversations happening in the country these days. Everyone is shouting out “this way” or “that way,” just to shout the other side down. The media biases get in the way and just echo those shouts. There seems to be no way to make both sides happy. Maybe it’s time to stop this discourse. How about both sides just SHUT UP and listen.
That’s right listen.
Maybe we’ll find we all have a lot more common ground.
Step back and think about what the other person is saying. Do not instantly respond like they do in the circuses that are election debates. Take the time to do some critical thinking.
When I was in school I had a few teachers and professors who would challenge me to write essays that took a point of view that was the opposite of my view. Yes, they were a challenge to write. I mean, how could anyone support that viewpoint? Yet it forced me to do the kind of thinking that maybe society should get back to.
Does that mean all opposite viewpoints are right? No, it does not, but it also helps to gain an understanding of how they came to that viewpoint. It might be the result of when, or where they were raised. What schools they went to. How they got their news. How they were exposed to political and social pressure.
So, let’s start looking at things from “Both Sides Now,” then you might end up really knowing life, and better appreciate and respect another’s point of view.
You can read the lyrics to the entire song “Both Sides Now” at this link.
Read my previous essay about intolerance at this link.
1 comment
Hi Mark:
I have to admit that I used to talk along with the stretching room spiel. I didn’t realize I was was being an oaf until the GF told me so.
Well, that GF is long gone and I changed my overbearing Disney ways.
And then my AP was long gone, too. Trust me, I can afford a 100 times over the purchase of Annual Passes but my worldview on Disneyland changed. (My buddy Warren and I’s quick three day visit last August notwithstanding).
I became disillusioned with people like I used to be. That is your “Disnoid” description to a T. Soon it became who could bump up to the bi-coastal DL/WDW pass, or snag tix to the latest __th anniversary party of whatever ride, experience or such. And then the pins! OMG. You had to camp out for the limited editions and whatever small batch item was being offered. Thankfully I never fell under the spell of popcorn buckets because they are so lame. And my house would be overrun with them knowing that my collection urge bordered on the uber obsessive. I know , to each his own, but when those became a thing, I started to realize I had become a Disnoid. In short order our group of six or so super Disney Fans began to fall away and I was the only one left standing. It wasn’t Disney after all….it was being with people I cared about and had fun with. Even now, I have THOUSANDS of Disney pins in boxes buried in my spare bedroom. The antenna toppers ruled back in the day (all 754 uniquely different ones….bet you didn’t know they had made so many different ones) and are also now gathering dust. I can’t begin to list all the other Disney items I collected but here’s a short list: magnets, hats, lanyards, coffee mugs, postcards, Cast Member worn name tags and on and on and on.
However, I do have fabulous memories and TENS OF THOUSANDS of photos that will attest to that. We snapped away like fiends and singlehandedly propped up Kodak until they fell of their own short-sighted accord I believe. Our little group lasted from about 1994 until about 2015.
As I’ve often remarked to anyone who would listen, if I had all that money I spent on Disney from our heyday, I coulda bought a second house.
Strangely however, I still adore Walt Disney World. And that’s OK because I already bought the t-shirt. And adult beverages in EPCOT are the best.
See you next time on the WFEFP!
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