The Gentlemen’s Guide to Finding Common Ground
I am so grateful every few weeks to be able to draw from real life experiences and share some words of wisdom. Hopefully you all find something useful every few weeks. One topic that has shown up in my life more often lately is ‘what side are you on?’ While you all may think this is a purely a political question, I promise there’s many more examples that you probably never ever think about. My hope, at the end of this, is that we all will think more about what we have in common as opposed to what we disagree with. I promise this will all come together…
When did this all change?
I remember as a kid, you had to pick your favorite sports teams. Growing up in NY we had football, baseball, basketball and hockey. We needed to stand our ground, support our team and never let the other side get the best of you. I remember fights in school over issues like this. I see them in stadiums today between grown adults! So, while I’m not suggesting we don’t love and support our personal choices publicly. I would never encourage silence. What I am suggesting is deciding how we REACT to those that oppose our morals, our views or our ideals. Find that Common Ground. Our Founding Fathers did it, Empires in history did it and now it’s our turn to do it.
3. Social Media. I probably could write a book on just this topic with everything I have seen over the past 10-12 years. I’ll say this. Your page is your page. I would never tell someone what they should and should not post. I would like to ask this. What are you trying to accomplish? What’s the end goal? Do you think your consistent posts on a topic will change people’s minds? Are you trying to share specific facts or reiterating what you’ve heard or saw somewhere else. We get so wrapped up in what people post that I am sure many folks just keep scrolling or possibly stop to unfriend or unfollow. Both of which are very simple paths to addressing the issue. I ask you this. What made you be friends to begin with? Why did you accept that person’s request in the past? Did you not know they were so strong in their beliefs that it became a priority for them to share that with everyone? Be mindful of what you put out there and don’t ever be surprised by the ‘keyboard warriors.’
4. Agree to disagree. If you find yourself in a situation where you are at odds, take a moment to think. What would I be looking to gain from this if I chose to be aggressive in this situation? For the record, I will always support defending yourself and your family, within reason. This goes to the point of deciding how you will REACT to a situation. That decision, if not handled correctly, could cost you a friendship, a family relationship, your job or maybe a trip in a police car.
So what do I do now?
So what do I do now?
As you would expect, I will bring this back to the Brotherhood. Having a group, you feel safe in, physically and opinion wise, has tremendous value. However, only hanging out with guys that are 100% with you might be tough. If you are going to remove those that don’t have the same religious beliefs you have, the same political views you do, or the same sports picks you do, where does it end? Sure, picking a religion over a football team sounds silly but wars have been fought over these two topics. Maybe not so much on the football field but certainly in the stands! All kidding aside, if we as men are going to pass the torch to the next generation of young men, we need to do better, be better and act better. I would like to think that my Brotherhood is diverse enough that we all respect each other’s views and choose to focus on the things we agree on as opposed to what could break us apart. It certainly makes Guys Night’s much more enjoyable!
Connect to All of the Gentlemen’s Corner Articles w/ Colin Furcht
Take care of yourselves and your brotherhood!
Colin Furcht- BRO Beard Products CEO
Colin has been a long time Lake Norman resident and has been very active in the community. From Commissioner to founding the Lake Norman Lighted Christmas Boat Parade to now a featured Author and small business owner! His desire is to bring men together and encourage them to reach out. He has always said, ‘look out for yourselves and each other.’ All men need a Brotherhood. www.brobeardproducts.shop
