When Opinions Collide

A difference of opinion

Doesn’t have to turn into a fight,

Doesn’t have to end in anger,

Or spill over into violence.

Just because someone disagrees with you

Doesn’t mean you must argue,

Doesn’t mean you have to prove yourself right

Or silence their voice.

A difference of opinion

Can be a doorway,

A chance to see the world

Through unfamiliar eyes.

It is a learning curve,

A gentle bend in the road

That widens our horizon

And softens the ground beneath our steps.

We do not grow by echoes

Or by hearing only our own reflection,

But by listening,

By allowing another truth

To stand beside our own.

Respect does not demand agreement,

But it does ask for patience,

For humility,

For the courage to pause

Before the storm of words begins.

A difference of opinion

Can be a teacher,

If only we let it.