It’s been nearly 4 months now, and I still can’t get it off
my mind. The Big Apple. The city so nice, they named it twice. New York, New
York. More specifically, I was at the United Nations. I was with a group of
rock stars at the Commission on the Status of Women promoting the family.
Literally rubbing shoulders with some of my heroes.
Fighting for a Cause
There were people there from all over the world fighting for
causes that they believe in, seeking to come together to be able to accomplish
great things. The main hang up, though, was that not everyone holds the same
values.
I myself was there promoting the family and some of the things
that I have found that provide the family with the best opportunities possible to
succeed. You see, when you strengthen the family you strengthen society, you
strengthen the economy, you strengthen the quality of living, and the list goes
on and on. This was our message to delegates from all around the world, and we
came with research to back these claims.
“Opposing” Views
When I first arrived, I was a bit shocked at how much hatred
I felt toward the values that I promote. There were times that I did not feel
heard. There were times where I felt attacked and definitely misunderstood. I
felt alone in the cause. (Even though I would later learn that that was
definitely not true! There were TONS of people, all around, who would
eventually make themselves known.) I had to actually work hard not to become
defensive. I worked hard to listen. I realized that those whose opinions
“opposed” mine were likely speaking out of defense themselves. That can be a
pretty vicious cycle to work with- defense responding to defense responding to defense.
I’ve learned that if you really take the time to understand someone and respond
with love, they’re much more willing to do the same for you.
The Fight is Not Against Each Other
When I listened, I quickly realized that it’s not so much
that we’re fighting against each other. I don’t believe that any of us are
“bad” people seeking to destroy one another. We just see a different means to
the end. I would even venture to say that if you were to pick any one person
out of a crowd and ask them what they are most passionate about, it’s likely to
be something that they believe would be for the benefit of another person. We
all, generally, want good things for people.
Again, we are NOT fighting “against” each other! At least I hope not. We ARE fighting for things that we believe in. No matter what your beliefs are, remember that those you perceive as “opposing” you most likely believe what they believe just as strongly as you do.
Great People Everywhere
I met so many incredible people. People who are fighting for
what they believe in. People who I never would have met had I not been willing
to step outside my comfort zone.
Most of the experiences that I personally had (that I count
as a “success”) were more individualized, one on one experiences. In those
experiences, there was always always a
mutual respect for one another, which involved listening to understand before
listening to be understood, even if neither of us walked away having convinced
the other person of our personal goals.
These Are Our Allies
After my experience at the UN, I know that I will never stop
promoting the family as a fundamental unity of society. I will continue to
advocate wherever I am; whether that’s the halls of the UN, the subways of New
York (I met some awesome people there too, by the way. There are such good
people everywhere!), or the little town I live in here in Idaho. However, I will seek to be cautious of those around
me as I do so and seek to work with them rather than against them. There will
still be times that we disagree, there will still be times where neither of us
can obtain what we want without unintentionally hurting someone else, but it is
my sincere hope that we will be able to (at the very least) hear one another’s
voice and seek to work together in whatever way our conscious will allow.
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