Malcolm X quoted:
“A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.”
Often in life we will find ourselves standing alone and perhaps somewhat segregated from others. As individuals we have differing views and opinions which derive from our upbringing, experiences, morals and values.
Some are vastly more passionate than others and will try in whichever way to influence another person’s thinking. Whilst others know their mind, their reasons and are happy to accept not everyone will feel the same way.
Throughout life our beliefs and reasoning are constantly put to the test by family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, though not always consciously done. People are able to form an idea about us by identifying our way of thinking and our understanding. It is very much a part of us – rarely can one hide this. Perhaps one can take on a fake identity for a while but the real you will pour out sooner or later.
People tend to gravitate to those who have similar beliefs and pull back when they do not share the same belief as others, especially if it is offensive in some way.
We should know our own minds and be willing to follow through when we believe strongly about an issue. We should be stable as individuals, mature enough to handle and accept others may not share our viewpoints. We should not live to manipulate others into seeing life in the way we do.
I will be the first to admit, it is refreshing when another person is just as passionate about you on an issue as you can banter, debate and bounce ideas off of each other. However, my standing remains the same whether 80 people support me or just the one person. This is where the “why” comes into play. One must know why they have this belief and passion. It must come from deep within and not simply be the viewpoint which you have adopted from someone close to you. I do not live to persuade others to adopt my way of thinking but I will make my standing known whether they will agree with me or not.
Do you stand firm in what you believe even when no-one will stand with you?
Is your need to be accepted greater than having integrity and standing for what is right?
organisedlady 
I tend to let a lot of things go, but have stood up for what I firmly believe in when it matters most, such as a time when a teacher was in hot water for teaching a book a parent tried to get them fired for reading aloud from or the time I basically rewrote the district’s film viewing policy to circumnavigate the too strict policy a school board member wanted to put in place.
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Jeri- choosing your battles is so important.
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Standing alone is definitely challenging and lonely in the beginning. Sometimes you may find yourself questioning if you made the right decision.
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It is lonely Danielle which is why most choose against it. The self doubt which I have also had brings confusion.
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I agree with you Phoenicia when you try and take a path which is less traveled first you need to make way for yourself amongst the crowd to begin your journey.
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It is not always easy standing alone but it certainly sets you apart.
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Yeah, that’s true!
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It seems we have a similar way of thinking.
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😊
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Beautifully said, and I agree with others here that your topic is well timed Phoenicia. I’ve stood alone on many occasions, one of them I shared in our recent collaboration Women Breaking Barriers. The funny thing is that I truly believe being so harshly bullied as a kid actually served to help me in many ways because it was from that experience that I found the courage to believe in myself. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Marquita – our life experiences contribute to who we are today. It is down to us to channel this in a positive way. I am pleased my post came at an appropriate time.
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Oh yes, I’ve been known to dig my heels in when I am both passionate and knowledgable about a topic or belief. On the flip side, I love when I can talk with someone with a differing viewpoint and say to them: I never thought about it that way.
I may/may not change my mind, but it’s good to hear how someone else thinks.
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You can learn something from the majority of people you meet even if just about yourself.
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Phoenicia — of course your question is quite relative in the States right now as it’s almost impossible to have civil discourse between Democrats and Republicans. While I’m firm in my beliefs, I wish it wculd be possible to have discussions that don’t degenerate into harsh words or arguments.
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Jeannette – there is a lot of unrest in America causing divide.
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When you study psychology one of the first things you learn is that there are not even two people in the world who view things exactly the same way. So our outlook on life is different from all other seven billion plus people on earth. In other words we are standing on our own and just have to accept that we do.
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Interesting viewpoint. Though people think differently, some will still choose to stand with others for various reasons.
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