Don’t let inflexibility get in the way of progress

 

Fighting, yelling, and throwing things will get you nowhere in life fast. I believe compromise is a beautiful thing and saves people a lot of time and headaches.

 

Bickering back and forth and never settling on a middle point seemed to be what occurred the past few weeks during discussions of club allocations. I didn’t believe compromise was even something to consider until this week. Student Senate handled the situation with grace and clubs were allocated fair budgets with everyone in mind. Even if some budgets are not what people wanted, a middle ground was found to please the campus as a whole.

 

Club allocations are not the only place to practice compromise. I can guarantee that every person reading this has compromised on one thing or another.

 

Maybe you compromised with your parents; you would clean the house and in return they let you stay out an extra hour or two growing up.

 

Unfortunately, compromise is a practice that is dwindling in the world these days.

 

Countless times, America’s government has proven that bickering and proving each other wrong is better than compromising and finding a middle ground to please everyone involved.

 

It makes me deeply upset to know that a body so powerful as our government cannot listen to each other and work out problems and would rather point fingers and bicker for days without making any headway.

 

I believe that if a system is going to function, and function correctly, then compromise is a must, and needs to be respected.

 

Since I have used government so far, let’s switch gears and I’ll prove even further why compromise is a hidden tool in solving everyday issues.

 

When you get married (or if you already are) do you honestly think you and your spouse will completely agree on every issue? If you are so naive as to believe this, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is not the case.

 

Everything from what furniture you pick to your children’s names will be handled (hopefully) with compromise. The color used to paint the house or how much time together you will spend will be a compromise. Simply telling your spouse that things will be a certain way may work now, but I can factually say that if you continue down this course, your spouse will finally freak out on you, or simply break it off and leave.

 

I am not married, but simply watching my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other relatives I understand and appreciate the way situations are handled between them. Of course they fight, healthy relationships involve that, but after taking a step back and listening to what the other has to say, an understanding occurs and a middle ground can be pursued.

 

Listening and understanding the other side is key with compromise. You can sit there, scream and shout until your throat is sore and continue to drown out the other side, but in that case nothing will get resolved.

 

It is fair to state your case, but then you must step down and listen to the other side. Understanding what the other person wants and where he or she is coming from with ideas is key in being fair and getting what everyone wants.

 

Finally, without compromise, fair rules would not be in place. Granted, that is not true for everything, but many rules would favor certain groups or individuals and everyone else would just be S.O.L. without compromise.

 

Any individual is free to do whatever he or she pleases; however, they must suffer the consequences of their actions.

 

This is a fair compromise. The government gives individuals the freedom to do what they wish, but will punish them for breaking rules put in place for the protection of the community as a whole. As this is a different type of compromise than my other examples, it still works. Bottom line, compromise is an important tool in making it through life successfully. Plus, you may be surprised as to how many people encourage compromise and accept it.