I am done talking. No really…I can’t do it anymore. Funny position to take, given what I do for a living. But, I am done. I started a conversation just the other day and it went south…fast. I was being “schooled” on the difference between tolerance, compassion and endorsement, when I just disengaged. As I was crafting my witty, brilliant response, I just stopped. I didn’t need to have the last word. There wasn’t a last word to be had. We both had very different views about tolerance and compassion. I just didn’t want to try and understand anymore. And I knew I wasn’t being understood.
This was moral fiber stuff, as my mom used to say. We are talking diametrically opposed values. I was kind of shocked with my stance, my submission. People who know me will tell you, I rarely do that. And yet, surprisingly, I feel stronger for it. I think sometimes you have to know when to quit, when to change the subject.
And then I ask myself, when might this viewpoint actually do more harm than good? When should I stay in the conversation even though it seems we may never understand each other?
Tags: #Disengagement
