I thought long and hard before writing this article about how to possibly get my point across without offending any specific person or group. I, along with some of my friends, believe that being a good leader entails owning up to your mistakes and trying to see everyone’s point of view without losing your own voice. This can sometimes prove hard to do.
Recently, on my campus there have been some “conflicts of views,” to say the least. With a “Trump 2016” graffiti-painted wall causing havoc and upset on our campus, and mentions from CBS and Fox News, opinions are flooding campus and beyond. Everywhere you walk, you can hear people in conversation about their thoughts on the matter.
This has caused a spewing of viewpoints and the stand-up of leaders. How do you speak as a leader of a group, big or small, about something controversial? How do you remain fair and neutral without losing your voice? How do you make sure that your group is justly represented in a hard time so as to keep their values in line?
Aside from the people and organizations involved in these said current conflicts of views, people are always going to have different opinions. With or without leaders, there will be conflicts. Harsh and soft spoken people are always going to exist. Some will never be able to play devils advocate and see from someone else’s eyes. Some will be easily influenced by the people who think things have to be “their way or the highway."
The sad thing is, this will most likely never change. Unless by some chance of fate that someone pressed a button that suddenly made our world perfect, no one is ever going to see eye-to-eye.
I am exhausted and tired of wasting my breath on issues that are never going to be resolved. It is next to useless to believe that by making rash decisions, we are going to change people’s viewpoints. Most of the time when people feel strongly about something, telling them they can’t believe something is only going to make them believe it more.
Take a little child for instance. The child loves candy. You tell them they can’t have the candy. Do you think the child will just carry on and forget about that candy? Absolutely not.
Individuals high in their beliefs will always speak up for what they consider to be true. And, good for them. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Everyone is entitled to freedom of speech.
This may seem like I am just ranting and this may be a bit like my own journal, but when are people going to realize they can’t change a person’s opinion? My opinion is that you either deal with it or choose to not feed into it. That’s what makes a good leader, and that's what makes you a mature adult.
It’s no secret that the candidates currently in the running for president have stirred up the most controversy in the history of presidential elections. A woman has never gotten as far as Hillary Clinton, and a candidate as honest and brutal as Donald Trump has never run for president. Naturally, this year’s presidential election is bound to stir up some talk. College campuses have recently been offended by the Trump campaign slogan, “Build the Wall.”
However, feeding into these controversies (or any for that matter) usually doesn’t help anything. Seeing from other people’s perspectives and respecting that everyone will see differently is the first step in solving this problem. Perhaps once this happens, everyone can stop getting offended. My opinion on opinions is that once everyone realizes that everyone will have their own opinion from now until eternity, the world will hopefully be a more understanding place.
