Does It Have To Be A Controversy?

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Abortion. Feminism. Gender roles. LGBTQ rights. Standing up during the national anthem. Immigrants. Gun control. Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Health care. The American pledge of allegiance. Did you slightly twitch for a second? Did an uncomfortable feeling swallow you whole? Did you clench your teeth a bit? Did your face slightly turn red? Any of these things must have happened to you after you read every single word above. That is because we have become accustomed to feeling uncomfortable about these so called “controversies” in our society. There is no need for them to be controversies in our society because

1. Faith is personal to you. You have no natural right to forcefully preach your religion onto another.

2. You do not control the lives or paths of others; you control your own life and you can help many find the light along the way

3. Your health is in your hands and you may seek help from others if you choose to do so

4. You will not understand the issue well unless you are involved with a certain topic directly or put yourself in their own shoes

5. Just as you have the right to live your life, others have the right to live theirs

6. If no harm is being done to the people around you then is it really a controversy?

7. Something stays a controversy because there are extreme sides which miss the perspective on an issue as a whole.

These controversies do not necessarily have to be a controversy because no matter what your religion is, no matter what viewpoint is attached to you based on your upbringing and beliefs, you still must listen to the different perspectives around you. Some of the so called “controversies” have a common sense answer in the world. At the end, what is the goal? To keep being infuriated with those who have different viewpoints than you, or trying to reach a common ground of understanding between the two? The goal of these so called “controversies” is to find a way to come close to peace in the world. What is essentially profound about such controversies are the fact that most controversies revolve around the victimized…which is quite ironic based on the fact that those making arguments against the victimized were never victims. In my next few blogs, I will be delving into many specific “controversies” I previously named that should not be controversies PERIOD. You want to lessen the victimized, the violence, the judgement in society, then you must stop making something a controversy based on selfish reasons and for the greater good.

I urge you to think…when you have a strong stance on a subject, are you thinking more of satisfying yourself by proving to the other side that you are right or are you trying to broadcast your stance to help the world you live in?

We need open discussion, however some topics open to discussion do not deserve such distress. Stop playing tug of war and think of the issue outside of the context of written words. We want justice, then do not lose touch with the common goal of the world: the never-ending goal of peace and justice.

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