I Want to Learn, But Only if You're Nice About It

I wanted to share a neat experience that I just had!

Jonathan and I are trying to save up to move back to Rexburg in September, so we decided to sell a VR system that we got for free that's worth a few hundred dollars. I know absolutely nothing about VR, so did my best to find out how much this system costs so that I could price it accordingly.

Today a nice man messaged me and let me know that the price that I put for it was a bit steep. Not because he wanted it but didn't want to pay that much for it, but because he knows about the system and knew that the price that I found on Amazon was a bit high because this model is being phased out. He let me know that it'll probably be worth more in a few months because this system has better touch features (or something to that effect) than the new one does.

He told me what I should feature in my Facebook Marketplace ad to make it more likely to sell it.

My ad had zero effect on him and his life. He didn't need to help me out. There was no angle or ulterior motive. He just wanted to help me sell my item.

I appreciate this SO MUCH.

I feel like it's so common today for people to jump on anyone that knows less than them about something. Maybe it's vaccines or abortion, but sometimes people will jump down your throat about movies or other interests too.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. There are things that I definitely have opinions or preferences about, but don't know all of the facts/details about. I generally try to avoid posting about things that I know are controversial that I don't know enough about, but I still occasionally will if I feel that it's really important.

When I've done this, I've gotten two reactions. The first is people raging at me. But the second is people politely disagreeing with me and/or asking why I feel the way that I do. And then (this is the important part) they have a respectful conversation with me about how they feel as well as reliable sources to back their stance. They're not trying to get me to change my mind most of the time, but they recognize that they know more about the subject than I do and instead of belittling me, they help educate me in a kind manner.

I love those people so much.

I have had wonderful conversations with friends about vaccines, abortions, pornography, modesty, and religion where we had differing points of view, but could talk about it from a place of wanting to understand rather than wanting to convince. And that makes all the difference to me. The moment someone starts getting overly defensive and taking things out of context is the moment that I stop really caring much about the conversation.

I'm the type of person that actually likes to learn more if I find that my perspective is skewed. And even if I still disagree with you, I love having a better understanding of why people feel so differently from me. I love being able to see both sides of a story and understand why there is more than one side. This has enabled me to make and maintain friendships with people from all different walks of life.

I don't mind if you disagree with me, but I do care if you're civil about it or not. Neither fact nor opinion should ever come as an attack.

Knowledge is power. But not the power to hold yourself higher than others and leer over them. It is the power to be a guiding hand. To lift others to greater wisdom and understanding rather than crush them under the weight of "I know more than you."

What happened today was a less crucial topic than any mentioned above, but still could have gone very differently. This man could have made me feel stupid about my ad or else had a clear selfish motive. But he didn't. A complete stranger reached out to me to help me be more likely to sell the item. He didn't have to do that, but he did. And he did it in a way that helped me learn instead of just making me feel dumb.

People like him give me faith in humanity.

It seems to be increasingly more common to see people as targets than as human beings. To see the other side as an enemy instead of simply different.

I think that we would live in a very different world if we remembered that different doesn't usually mean bad. And not only that, but that there is beauty in diversity because it brings on new ideas and advancements that wouldn't happen if everyone saw the world the same way.

So thank you random citizen for reminding me that there are still people out there who are willing to look out for a perfect stranger and that there is still a difference between teaching and demeaning in this world.

Ps- Shout out to my best friend Austin for proofreading all of my posts! He's the real hero here

Land of the Free?

At first glance it looks like they're holding hands,
but a closer look paints a more accurate picture.

I love the Fourth of July, but I struggled to celebrate our country's freedom yesterday while knowing that there are people in our beloved United States who came here seeking freedom and found only greater hardship and despair.

I'm talking about immigrants.

This country was founded by immigrants. People sailed across the sea seeking a land where they could be free to live and believe the way that they wanted to. Men and women have fought and died over generations to secure and maintain this freedom. And yet we seem to have forgotten so easily why we fight and what we fight for.

There are people from other countries that are fleeing from deplorable situations and coming here to seek refuge. Who come here because this is the "land of the free" where every human being has a right to "the pursuit of happiness". They come here looking for a place to live and believe the way that they want to. They're not only looking for religious freedom and new lands to explore, but for a place to be safe and raise their families. And yet they seem to have fled from one terrible situation to another. They arrive here with hope that is soon dashed to pieces as their families are ripped apart and they are placed in depressing conditions without some of the most basic necessities.

Don't get me wrong, I love America. I am so incredibly grateful to have grown up in a free land. But I am learning that my freedom seems to only be dependent upon me being born here, not upon the principles that this country is supposed to be based upon.

I absolutely think that there should be rules and regulations in place to help immigrants transition to life here. But "help" is the operative word there. If someone comes here with a desire for a better life and a willingness to work hard for it, then why should we inhibit that?

I understand that there are those who would mooch off of the government or come here for nefarious purposes (drug or sex trafficking among them). And there should be rules put into place for those instances. But there are also American-born citizens who mooch off of the government and live despicable lives. So I don't think that all refugees and immigrants should be treated like scum because of the former.

I'll be the first to admit that I know very little about politics and government. I don't know or understand all of the issues surrounding immigration. But I do know that I live in a land that takes pride in its freedom. And so I don't understand how we can proclaim freedom from the rooftops and then strip freedom away from others in the shadows.

I love the United States and everything that it stands for, but I don't feel that many of the practices being enacted at this time are in line with those standards.

So now that the celebrations are winding down, I ask you to consider what we just celebrated and ask yourself if you can honestly say that this is the land of the free.


PS- Here is an article from the Washington Post that talks about the horrible conditions that migrant detainees are being held in.

PPS- My brother has a blog and he's written quite a bit about the immigration issue lately. Check out some of his recent posts about it!

The Good American
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Love Thy Neighbor
Let's Just Tear Down the Statue of Liberty!