Life is Not About Picking a Side

Photo by Jose M on Unsplash

Human beings have been blessed with a capability that the other inhabitants of this planet do not possess — the ability to think critically.

Unfortunately, many of us fail to utilize this tremendous gift to anything close to its fullest potential. Instead, we pick a side.

The Good

Picking a side does not have to be all bad. Let’s say you grew up in middle Tennessee and attended school at Vanderbilt. After graduation, you obtained a job and stayed in the greater Nashville area. As a sports fan, you purchase season football tickets to your alma mater. You don’t have to worry about social plans for Saturdays from September through December as you are either in the stadium or watching your beloved team on television. Your picking a side allowed you to spend yesterday afternoon cheering on your Commodores as they beat the number one team in the country for the first time ever.

You didn’t have to critically think at all — it was just pure bliss for you.

Picking a side means you are adopting the “us versus them” mentality which is perfectly fine in the world of sports.

Shifting from sports to politics and society, what happens when you pick a side? Let’s say that you choose to become a conservative or a liberal, a Republican or a Democrat. Such a choice is also…