OPINION

MIKE MASTERSON: Differing views

Friendship before ego

I consider at least a dozen people in Harrison as valued friends even though they hold political opinions and views different from my own.

Simply daring to consider them friends is saying a mouthful in this era of destructive anger, division and unfounded hatred for others who don't subscribe to our particular views.

One difference in my approach when it comes to politics nowadays is I continue to appreciate and value friendship above ego, even when one or more of us enters into what appear on the surface to be futile heated exchanges.

For example, Danny Timbrook, a convinced liberal, has been a lifelong friend since our early 1960s Goblin days. We're both now pushing our mid-70s. So you'd think two full-grown friends by now would know better than to engage in meaningless rants over what, in reality, amounts to nothing of consequence.

Neither of us will affect the course of the nation, or anything relevant. I'm not going to change his views, nor he mine.

Nonetheless, we occasionally push each other's hot buttons and carry on for a few minutes, pretending our disagreement of the moment has significance, then wind up laughing, perhaps even exchanging a hug and moving on with our daily lives.

I take pretty much a similar approach with my general practitioner Ron Reese, optometrist Abe Akel, judge Rob McCorkindale, lawyer Gene Campbell, golfing friends Jim Strain and Rick Hartley, and several others whose views over national politics differ from mine.

For example, I never will comprehend how reasonable, rational American adults can embrace uber-radical policies proposed by the likes of Democrat freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others. Conversely, many with opposing views seem to view President Donald Trump as some pompous spawn of Satan, and all that "greedy" Republicans want to do is make money, avoid taxes, ruin the environment and oppose abortion.

I'm sure you have friends with similar conflicting views. Sadly enough, most of us do nowadays. The biggest difference I find between those of us in Harrison and much of the rest of our country is that we can believe differently while choosing to retain friendships rather than insisting our belief must be the "right" one.

In making such choices lies the secret to maintaining some form of balance in all relationships. I honestly couldn't care less whether others believe differently than me. So what? We live (for the moment, anyway) in a country where we each retain the right to believe as we choose.

Sometimes I feel we can't repeat that often enough. I sincerely respect their right to see the world and governmental priorities differently than me. They, too, have reasons for believing as they do, usually based on deeply personal experiences. I know that's how I have come to form my own views, which incidentally, have changed greatly with age and experience.

There was a time as a young journalist when I believed much as these friends do. Today, for me, is a different era with far different perspectives on how our nation grew to be the guiding light for this deeply disturbed planet.

Consequently, I can understand the basics of their positions to a degree and don't mind discussing them, as I did with Jim Strain the other day as we headed back from a seniors' golf outing.

He'd pushed the red button by asking if I believed in the Green New Deal. I replied, "You mean that kooky, unfeasible scheme that reportedly would have us surrender our fuel-driven machines and cost America somewhere between 50 and 90 trillion dollars? I'd say that's naïve and nation-bankrupting political nonsense."

That response naturally led Jim to raising the issue of climate change, which triggered 10 minutes of additional wisecracking, tit-for-tat disagreement that ended in laughter and two older fellas saying we loved each other.

Most of us have simply agreed to disagree and chalk up our opposing views to the natural way of things. We increasingly choose to ignore flaunting political views so to avoid needlessly damaging resentments.

So I know peaceful co-existence can be accomplished if people's passions over something that has become as foul and corrupted as politics in 2019 can simply be placed in perspective. Unfortunately, mass media choose to amplify and foster division between us daily, which means sides are constantly drawn and intentionally inflamed.

There's nothing that insists we choose to become emotionally involved in these events we will never alter short of our single vote, including these increasingly violent animosities washing through much of today's society.

Bottom line: Why, my adult friends, during this fleeting existence we share and in the name of common sense, would we purposefully choose to sacrifice precious friendships over meaningless, hateful words, ego and gallons of antacid?

Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly as you want them to treat you.

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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.

Editorial on 10/20/2019

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