Someone made a comment to me the other day that made me realize how different people can be. People’s perspectives of the world can differ so greatly even if those people have grown up in relatively similar conditions, similar education, in the same city of the same country.
I find myself surrounded by people whose perspectives differ from mine quite greatly. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but when those people have a large influence on your life and exert some power over you those differences of opinions can become negative influences. I think this happens because people whose values and priorities differ can fundamentally not understand each other, which leads to disagreements, which leads to separation.
The silly thing is there is no better or more right way to lead ones life (well except for maybe extreme cases). Everyone has to figure out what is important to them and lead their life in line with those values, in a way that serves what they decide is meaningful.
So how to deal with conflict and negativity that can arise from misunderstanding when it seems to be surrounding you? Personally, I try to remove myself from the negativity, physically and mentally. Reading a novel that explores ideas I find interesting, listening to music that reaches some deep part of me, going for a bike ride to feel the wind against my face, driving away for the weekend to explore a near by city I’ve never visited before. Escape essentially. But escape in order to surround yourself with things that nourish your soul, things that matter to you. For me, I seek creativity, adventure, art, nature. These things make me feel rejuvenated and at the same time like I belong to something.
I think everyone has a place where they feel they belong, and most often it’s not the same “home” they’ve grown up in. The scary, and exciting part is finding that place for yourself.
Anything & Everything 