'Spend time with someone who is very different from you'. I know that there are some people who wind me up and get me down. For me these people are generally negativists - I can cope with an odd sense of humour, I can absorb weird tics in character but people who are negative are like JK Rowlings Dementors in Harry Potter : it's like they suck the life out of me. I just don't want them around me. I consciously choose to avoid them or move away from them.
But today I am challenged to spend time with them...
Maybe my optimistic views are burdensome to them, perhaps my sometimes unrealistic expectations wear them down... Maybe I am weird as well.
I am made aware that we all are different and we are all equal. Spending time with others (and I have plenty of opportunity to do this in the next 48 hours) not only reminds us of how different we are but also how similar we are. Maybe the negativists don't get time to spend with positive people; maybe I should be a bit more realistic. Spending time with others changes our perspective if not our values - but sometimes they may change as well. I guess that's why actively listening to the other person becomes so important - I'm not looking for someone who is just going to agree with me but for an interaction that will shape me - and the other person.
If you are different to me then watch out - I'm looking for a conversation!
"Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." (Steve Jobs)
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