If you are like me and have overcome your misconceptions about introvert and extrovert, maybe this title resonates with you?
When I saw this guest post I found the sentence,”We place the title “different” when we realize that it’s our own opinion about a topic or idea,” is what can often times affect the introvert extrovert divide.
Even today with the hail of several author’s books around the world, people are just coming to believe the truth as is in the blog post title, “It’s not wrong it’s just different.”
Thank you Hugo Riddle for authoring this for my readers to enjoy.
While traveling Japan and Thailand, my friend and I kept running into situations that were well beyond our comfort zones but we always made a point to understand that “It’s not wrong, it’s just different.”
Personally, I believe this is one of the best ways to view the world because it keeps your mind open to the way the world is changing around us.
The Generational Gap
Every new generation naturally rebels against the former. The children of the 60’s were “wild and crazy” in comparison to those that grew up in the 40’s. The people of the 40’s were too “brash” compared to those that were active in the 20’s. This goes on for as long as we’ve been around.
Take a look now and you’ll see groups expressively getting behind the purpose of “protecting the youth” even though this is, at heart, a lost cause. Each generation is going to rebel against the former because that’s simply the way it is – but it’s not a bad thing.
For example, my generation is readily labeled as being lazy yet what people aren’t seeing is that it’s not so much a shift in productivity as it is a shift in the way we work. Sure, we’re not doing as much physical work with our hands but we’re out there making art, designing new products, developing new industries and working on projects rather than putting in our 40 years at a company.
The children of the 60’s faced the same situations yet we’ve gained so much because “it was different”. Past generations overcame diversity, created new genres of music, launched new careers and shaped the world we have today. Consider that if these people were stuck that “it was wrong” than we may not be where we are at today.
It’s a Different Culture
We have to also realize that every culture is different. Chances are, you’re westernized if you’re reading this because it’s aimed at an English audience. However, many eastern culture are completely opposite in their day-to-day lives.
There were moments in Japan and Thailand that made my friend and I extremely uncomfortable in terms of food, social interactions, treatment of others and economics. We were the foreigners, what right did we have to judge?
The United States (and other major countries) is melting pots; I think a lot of people forget this.
To be a better person, we have to keep an open mind. We have to understand that everyone is a part of a different culture, generation, socio-economic status and lifestyle. Let’s not be quick to judge others because we assume “it’s wrong”; better to understand that it’s merely “different” and be on with our own struggles in life.
Wrong is Subjective, Different is Opinion
Subjective means that you’re basing your perception on your feelings and beliefs without outside, objective points of view. Opinions are developed through objective points of view with a blend of subjectivism.
What we’re looking at here is that many people fail to see the difference between to two; they feel that one person’s opinion is attacking them directly because they are subjective about a topic or idea.
When you break things down, we label things as “wrong” when we feel subjective toward what we see. We place the title “different” when we realize that it’s our own opinion about a topic or idea.
It’s difficult to split the two but doing so allows you to be much more open minded about the world.
When you understand that everyone is different, rebels against the previous generation and comes from a different culture – you begin to see that it’s not really “wrong” … it’s just “different”.
What is your take on this concept? Share something that made you uncomfortable but gave you the realization that it’s merely different, rather than wrong. Comment below.
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Photo provided by: Guest blogging community
My name is Hugo Riddle. I’m a geek, freelancer and online business owner at Radiology-technician.com, a resource about medical careers in the radiology field. In 2011, my mom was laid off and started hunting for jobs online much like others around the country (and world). I’ve been using the web for most of my life and wanted to use my understanding of the net to help others in their search for a career, as well.
I agree. There is a saying that “to hate something imply and ignorance of what we hate. it other words we do not understand it because it’s different. When we can face the world with tolerance and understanding, we give ourselves the chance to see different situation in a more informed light. Just my thoughts. 🙂
We can bring this closer to home. I have a relative who is gay and when he recently came out to his homophobic grandfather it was a non-issue. His grandfather loved him just as much and conceded that he had been wrong about his previous feelings and that his grandson was “born that way, it’s natural.” He just hadn’t had contact with any gays whom he was close to. We need to reserve our judgments about other cultures and other people who we deem as “different” from us.
I have long held this opinion. Different is what makes the world an interesting place. We have a tendency to view the world through our own personal lens of experience, right or wrong. We just need to recognize that and realize that something may be ‘different’ and not necessarily ‘wrong’.
I wholeheartedly agree with everything you’ve said here. Everyone does what they believe is right, based on their view of the world which may differ greatly from ours. Sometimes people do things on a higher or lower volume than that which fits in our comfort zone. At times like these, it’s best to just observe the situation, and your fleeting feelings about what’s occurring, as though you are watching a movie, rather than getting caught up in judgment or stuck in ideas of right and wrong. Ours is not the only way, ours is just another way.
Hugo, when you live, work/study and integrate in diffierent cultures world-wide you will notice that they are even more different than you have experienced so far. And if, like me, you are adventurous you will love the experience.
Experiencing different things is what makes life interesting in my opinion.
So why do I have to be the contrarian? I’ll be brave and say different is not always OK. I like to give the ancient example of the religion that worshiped the god Moloch and sacrificed children.
But most of the time you are right; it is about learning to tolerate differences.
Isn’t it amazing how such a fine shift in perception can make such a dramatic difference in opinion? It’s telling how eager we can be to rush to judgement, especially on those things we don’t understand. “Vive la différence!