Compromise, a word that means so much to us in modern times. We are raised hearing of its virtues, are taught that it is our moral obligation to belive in, preach, and live by it. After all it is only the right, and just thing to do. We have to understand everyone else's point of view after all. But do we really know what it means? I acctually had to look the word up to know a true deffinition of it. Let me give you the most basic definition that I found.
Compromise: To settle by concessions.
Pretty plain and simple isn't it? I give up something, you give up something. We reach an agreement that we can both adheer too. Simple right? Its the logical thing to do isn't it? I mean we've all heard how wonderful it is, and we can be proud of how reasonable we are. But I have one more question that this brings to mind. What are we conceeding to each other?
I mean what happens, hypothetically, when I'm right, and in that case, you're wrong. I'm conceeding the stronger position. Giving up on doing the right thing. For what? To be reasonable? And what are you doing when your wrong? Is it conceeding to admit that something is wrong, and you're giving it up? How am I being reasonable to give into your weaker, wrong demands? I could be wrong but, I was sure that to make things better in life, we did what was right, not what is obviously wrong.
But are things always so simple? We can easily see how we compromise a punishment to our children. After all its only something small. They're only a child. They don't know any better. But the next incident is only a little worse. We were reasonable before. We don't want to be mean. We can let this slide too. What can that build to in eightteen years? We've always been reasonable. Willing to compromise, and we've conceded to them what was right for so long. How can we suddenly put them on the straight, and narrow now? Maybe we shouldn't have compromised our own rules to begin with. After all, we set those rules for a reason.
Now, mind you, we all know that life is full of grey areas. So of course, we don't want to be so stuck in our ways, that we can't change our stripes from time to time, when its called for of course. Of course what that neighbor boy did was wrong. But his Father, he's such an angry man that the poor kid has a hard home life. I mean it's a terrible thing that a child isn't taught right from wrong, or has bad examples set for them from day one. But isn't right, right? Isn't wrong still wrong? Are we doing such a great service to the child by compromiseing these principals? Or, are we simply reenforcing bad examples, and behaivior, with our reasonable nature?
Let me ask you this. What is our recipie for grey? You take some black, add white, and viola, grey. Take this to heart then. Things are black, and white. If they weren't, you'd never have your opportunity to have those grey areas. I'm not advocating that curcumstances don't exist where the rules change. But wrong is wrong, it dosen't change because you don't like it. Right is right, it works when its tried, and the results stay the same. Your not going to make it different by wishing otherwise. Without this base to work from we're lost in a sea of confusion.
It breaks down to something so simple, I really think we all over look it. Both in ourselves, and in society as a whole. People both hate, and fear truth and reality. Reality and truth are just that. They don't change, they won't compromise. That just makes them so unreasonable dosen't it. We want them to be different. To give in only a tiny bit. But they won't. They just won't budge, or give an inch will they? They hold us responsible when we sluff off. They make us live up to the consequences when we do something wrong. They're just so mean about it. If only they'd concede to us one little bit.
We want to go to a party this weekend. So we compromise with ourselves. I can pay the power bill half this check, and half the next. Now I get to go. But reality steps in, we didn't pay our bill. Out go the lights. Thats so mean. I didn't do what I was supposed to do. What I said I would do. Then the power company did exactly wht they said they would do. Why can't they just compromise with me, and take what I want to give them? I'm being reasonable, they should be too. I earned the right to have some fun, they shouldn't punish me for not living up to my word. The truth just won't listen though, so we have to live with the consequences. Of course I could've worked a little harder, and got that overtime I was offered. Then I could've done both.
