It is possible, if one is committed to choose love over hate, for a person to learn to agree to disagree.  This is surely one of the most difficult goals people can have in their lives.  For some, it may be considered impossible.  This is understandable.  When we feel intense negative emotions for hateful actions pointed against ourselves or the people we love, we are tempted to react in kind.  It may be seen as an action of defense.  But such actions are motivated by anger and retribution.  This is not conducive to finding peace in our hearts and in our world.  We each have a role to play in making the world a more equitable place to live.

I wrote a prayer for myself that I pray everyday that includes this intention: I pray for all the people I love so dearly and like so much and “for all the people I don’t like and have trouble loving, that we may all learn how to agree to disagree.”  I say this to remind myself that extreme dislike of a person can lead to hatred.  At any point, in different situations, feeling love may not be possible.  But a good start is to learn to agree to disagree.

I realize that this may seem simplistic.  In a way, it is.  But, even little things matter.  Although we can’t be assured of changing a situation, we can refuse to contribute to the negative forces.  We can agree to disagree.  

This challenge is a constant in my life.  When I read about the atrocities and the injustices that happen all over our world, it saddens me deeplyy, but there is so little I can do about it.  The challenge is to find the opportunities available for me to become a part of a solution for problems closer to home.  Even if my efforts are unsuccessful, I will have learned something about myself.  That will make it more likely for me to do better in the future.  Most of all, I believe that the first step in all of these endeavors is learning to agree to disagree.