Vilification, Putting Yourself Out There, A Fuel for Change in Society, Opening Your Mind Beyond What is Comfortable

"It's okay to disagree with the thoughts or opinions expressed by other people. However, that doesn't give you the right to deny any sense they might make. Nor does it give you a right to accuse someone of poorly expressing their beliefs just because you don't like what they are saying. Instead, learn to recognize good writing when you read it, even if it means overcoming your pride and opening your mind beyond what is comfortable."
— Ashly Lorenzana

Good morning, happy Thursday; I hope your week is humming along nicely!  All is good here, I got 7 hours and 58 minutes of sleep, I’m rested and ready for another day.  I’m starting my day with Death Wish Coffee and some Liquid Death Moutain water; it’s the morning cocktail of the times.

I had a couple of appointments yesterday; we slew some dragons and at 3:00 got in our car and drove two hours north to visit my daughter and son-in-law at their new home.  My father and mother arrived to celebrate his 82, not 83rd birthday.  We got a tour of the house, their dream home, and a fantastic starter home with a woodworking shop, 3 acres; I’m so proud of our kids.

My daughter made some fantastic soup, a great salad; Mom brought homemade bread, we took care of the wine, we wore birthday hats and ate coconut cake with a few less than 82 candles.  We got home late, about ten, went to bed, and I became a piece of meat between my wife and dog sandwich.

Occasionally I have a friend send me something that they believe will align with my values, and if I think it is worthy of a share, I share it with my followers.  My friend Barret shared this with me yesterday, and I thought it valuable for anyone that has ever found themselves with adversaries. Although I do not know the author, please share if you know the author; I would love to give them credit.

“Have you ever known someone who was determined to vilify you? No matter what you said or did, somehow, your words or actions were twisted in their mind so that you ended up being the bad guy.

So what can you do when this happens? First, of course, you can bless such individuals and forgive them, but in the end, that may not change them.

The important thing is to not wear yourself out trying to please them. Decide not to spend your emotional and spiritual capital on humans who insist on being cosmic black holes in your life. Such people are often planted to “wear out the saints.”

One characteristic of such people is unresolved anger. Years ago, I heard the masterful Rick Renner talk about the words “anger” and “wrath” in the Bible.

In Hebrew, the word for wrath, chemah, speaks of heat and poison and is often connected to the idea of a fever. It is like a state of mind that makes one delirious and not thinking straight.

Likewise, the idea behind the word for wrath speaks of a keen mind reaching forth to some kind of act of vengeance. It’s as if the word “wrath” frequently says of a state of mind that causes you to perceive reality in a distorted way.

It is impossible to think clearly when anger is your lens.

To be sure, some can be won by your speaking love. However, I want to focus on making sure you don’t wear yourself down trying to win those you can’t win; those the devil plants to mess with your head simply.

I once heard a story of two coworkers engaged in an ongoing dispute years ago and went to Lester Sumrall to mediate. The wise elder Lester counseled the younger man, “You will never win the war of words with your coworker, but you can out-love him!”

That’s good advice. If you can’t capture their goodwill and support or they are committed to misunderstanding you, out-love them!

Perhaps you won’t win a particular debate or convince someone to accept a truth, but you can focus on pouring into your people, loving your family, and winning hearts and minds.

Focus on what will have a lasting impact!”

I was in a meeting the other day, and one of our group pointed to me and said, “you know he likes to put himself out there.”  I agree; I share thousands of words every year, no one will agree with everything I write.  I’ve had my share of detractors, but when someone has disparate thoughts, I have used the above approach to disarm; love is a powerful tool.

Why take the risk of offending or alienating others by sharing my views?  I do my work because so many people are scared to share how they feel.  Our current society is such that if you don’t fall in line with a particular narrative, you could be a racist, homophobic, or bigot.  I’m willing to put myself out there to show that diversity of ideas is just as crucial as other diversity efforts.  The moment we all agree, it’s time to break up the club and find people with different perspectives and ideas.

Disagreement is the fuel for change in society.  The evolution of ideas, laws, rules will lead to a positive life innovation.  My advice is to get out of your bubble and seek out people you are not aligned with, people who have a different view, and have rational and reasonable conversations about why you think the way you do.  Do not vilify others; love them for how they feel, do, and say.

"It's okay to disagree with the thoughts or opinions expressed by other people. However, that doesn't give you the right to deny any sense they might make. Nor does it give you a right to accuse someone of poorly expressing their beliefs just because you don't like what they are saying. Instead, learn to recognize good writing when you read it, even if it means overcoming your pride and opening your mind beyond what is comfortable."
— Ashly Lorenzana