“The cause of conflict is some fixed idea or one-sided idea.”
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
Many times when I’m reading I’ll come across a passage that really resonates with me and I’ll tell myself that’s something I probably need to write about at a later date. This particular passage from Shunryu Suzuki gave me that exact feeling. So that was my plan, I’d mention it later, in maybe a day or two, or maybe in a month. About an hour later I found myself on Social Media just “flippin” through, and came across a video of a lady talking about how we don’t “come to the table” anymore because we’re all so sure we’re right. So, two knocks on the door means open it!
Isn’t this so simple and so very true? Many of us are so sure we are right that we seldom entertain the idea that we may be wrong. So, even though we have discussions with others regarding our opposing positions we generally have no intention of….not being right. This dynamic doesn’t normally provide for a positive outcome. Conflict occurs, people get mad, and things go south from there. Can we actually have a mindset that says “I’m not always right”, or “there might be another way”……Yes we can.