Taking Sides....

If there is one thing I dislike in life... apart from bannans.... it is when people take sides. When people form a political view or opinion which means that they know better than other people. We all do it. I do it. But the question I have is this: are we concious we are doing it? Are we aware that any anger in us is rising up and taking hold of us?

I once experienced something that serves as a reminder of how important it is to make sure I don't take sides in life. I witnessed a heated discussion between two parents at a sports match. In fact, it wasn't even at a match, but at training. They were talking about the techniques that were being used by the coaches.

One of the parents believed the coaching was really good, the other did not. This resulted in a heated discussion which eventually lead to them sitting in different places in the park and not really talking. They still don't talk very much and have now formed their own group of friends who agree with their opinion. They are angry and they have taken sides.

The kids are having a great time in training and in games whilst the parents argue over something. Why? How can something be of such gravitas that it causes two people who used to get on to argue? Pride. An opinion was formed and when someone else contradicted this opinion or formed a different one, there was no room for discussion. Pride gripped them both which lead to a stand-off. Now it won't even let them agree to disagree.

Sometimes it is right to take sides. To be 'angry' about something. It is right to take the side against injustice; it is right to take the side against poverty; it is right to take the side against hunger and starvation. But is it right to take a side against someone over coaching techniques? Over whether someone's son or daughter gets more game time? Over who has the best equipment?

Perhaps we should save our 'anger' for the real issues in our society today rather than channel it into something so small and unimportant.