In all of history, our society has never been more divisive. Whether it is politically, socially, or ideologically, people just can’t seem to even want to try and agree. Not even want to try and see another person’s point of view .”Can’t we all be friends”?
Many years ago, famed UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden coined the phrase,” disagree, but don’t be disagreeable.” Being a big John Wooden fan, that phrase has resonated with me for many years. Everyone may have their interpretation of Coach Wooden’s now-famous phrase, and I am no different. Coach Wooden was a master at taking student-athletes from different backgrounds and blending them into championship basketball teams. Coach Wooden took basic social mores, Christian values, and common sense and melded them into a precept for everyone to be respectful, listen to another person’s point of view, and have positive dialogue. He saw this as a means where athletic teams, politicians, families, etc., could all celebrate their different points of view and co-exist. Not only co-exist but thrive and be successful.
Another phrase coined over a number of years, with an unknown origin, is “reach across the aisle.” With this phrase, the word aisle is symbolic of the divide between people of different political beliefs. In this case, Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals, etc.
“Disagree, but don’t be disagreeable,” “Reach across the aisle,” or “Can’t we all just be friends,” these phrases offer a sign of hope. A sign of cooperation, respect, and willingness to put our agendas aside for the betterment of the greater good.
Aren’t these phrases merely a return to the lessons our parents and grandparents tried to teach us?
Respect your elders, be polite, don’t interrupt, etc. In my Life Coaching practice, I commonly ask how a 10-year-old would solve this problem. How would a 10-year-old solve the problem of divisiveness? Most likely, they merely say, ” Can’t we all be friends”?
