different approaches

Eight years ago, I sat in a local coffee shop and had a fascinating conversation. I sat with a then newfound friend who clearly approached life differently than me. Funny. I sometimes think in this polarized, political state we now live in, we’ve assumed there are only three approaches in life: left, right, and the ambiguous, undefined — mostly a route that just doesn’t want to be included with the other two.

I think we are making a significant mistake here. There are way more than three approaches…

There’s a little to the left, a little to the right… a zig zag here and there… there’s a roaming around in circles. There’s coming at it straight from the top… hovering overhead… or maybe those who zero in from somewhere on the bottom.

Some come creatively… others analytically… right brained, left brained, or some dichotomy in between.

There are our introverts, extroverts, and those introverts living in an extrovert world. There are the cautious, the meek, and those who tend to barrel the rest of us over with their exuberance and passion.

And here’s what’s beautiful: each of those approaches is ok. All may fit with the way we are each uniquely, divinely wired. What that then tells me is that there are far more than three approaches to life… maybe, quite possibly, even three zillion.

As the coffee shop conversations continued, the Intramuralist was born. My friend and I learned together that sharpening comes when we are willing to respect, honor, and learn from another’s approach. Let me be truly transparent, however; I don’t think as a society, we do that very well. We tend to hold onto to our own opinion, embolden it by camping in the vacuum of likeminded opinion, affirm it via biased news and resources, and then wholeheartedly deny or dismiss the validity of one of the other three-zillion-minus-one approaches. We, friends, are missing out. We are missing out on the sharpening that should come from one another.

In light of that backdrop, allow me to get to the point of the today’s post. Today I’d like to introduce one of my favorite events of the year, our annual Guest Writer Series. This is excellent!

Recognizing that none of us have it all figured out (and that none are going to have it all figured out, especially when exclusively immersed in the likeminded), the Guest Writer Series is a small manifestation of the Intramuralist’s mantra… that we can learn and grow from varied opinion, as long as that opinion is articulated in a way that is respectful of those who may not share the opinion. Yes, it’s true; it’s hard to learn from the person who is shouting at us; it’s hard to spend extended time with one who knowingly looks down on us because of what we believe.

In our annual summer series, you will find some ten/eleven persons who don’t all believe the same thing; they make up only a slight percentage of those three zillion approaches. But they are each committed to expressing their opinion in a way that is respectful of those who may disagree. That, is an incredibly beautiful, virtuous thing.

You will hear from men, women, and all sorts of professions. You will hear from persons in the public and private sector. You will hear from all sorts of demographic categories. And, of course, you will hear from people who approach life differently.

Do remember, that the opinions expressed may or may not be held by me; that’s not the point. While I have often published opinion that I did not hold nor agree with, the beauty of the Intramuralist is the recognition that agreement is secondary to respect. We can be sharpened through the respectful dialogue of diverse opinion.

Hence, while this semi-humble current events observer enjoys a bit of a summer respite, know that I will return in a few short weeks, refreshed and ready to roll. We have things to talk about!

Until then, enjoy this insightful series. I say again: it is excellent! Why? Because we are willing to learn from approaches different than our own. Fire up for Guest Writer #1, starting Tuesday.

Respectfully…
AR