Agree to Disagree

From a speech, originally written for someone (not you). Content has been added.

I have a little known philosophy that the best relationships are not the ones that are between two people who will always agree with each other. You might think it is, because two people who like each other have to have a million things in common, right? Well, you're WRONG, because you're STUPID. If you disagree with that statement, then we'll get along just fine.

Think about it, every idea has flaws. If you only talk to people who agree with you, you’re blinded by inflated self esteem. You might as well be debating to (and supporting) yourself. You might as well live by yourself, a proposition that is less awkward than talking to your clone.

Sure I suppose you could pump each other up, say "What a neat idea, I was thinking just that!" It’s not going to help when you need to look at negativity a different way. Plus, people who all think the same never inject anything new or weird, unwelcome, or intriguing when they meet. They're stale, they're unenthusiastic, they're routine and they end up parting ways because of it.

This is why the most pivotal people in my life so far are not the cheerleaders. Not the people who encourage and put down, but never critique. Not the people who wouldn’t take your idea seriously if it was loaded into the barrel of a gun and pointed at them. Who never suggest an idea you haven’t already considered. Never put something fresh in front of you and say “hey you, Mr. Talk-too-much, shut up and listen to this.”


Although this post derives itself from a noble speech, there was a less than noble reason behind the speech that needs to be said right now. The reason and the speech are tied to the same person, though they initially appear to say opposite things.

One of the most frustrating things, at least for me, is to get into an argument with someone and have them go up to their friend and say "________, you agree with me don't you?" and then "See, _______ agrees with me, that's 2 against 1." Not only was a fast exchange of ideas (the argument) ruined completely, but that's false reasoning. It adds nothing to your side except that, yes, someone likes your idea. Many people liked Hitler, many more hated him, the fact alone says nothing about him. The only thing that could support your side is yourself and your vision. It disappoints me to no end, to see a beautiful vision be insufficiently expressed by "well... ____ likes it at least."

The speech was meant to convey, at least subtly, that "no, stop rushing to the people who you know will agree with you, stay right here, I like hearing your ideas"

My Life Is G!

Seriously, it is.

According to the United Nations, three billion people live on less than $2.50 a day and roughly 80% of the total world income is occupied by the richest 20%. The downfall about wealth is that it doesn't necessarily equal happiness. There are many naïve citizens including, at impulsive times, me. We often take materialistic goods for granted to an extent that they have evolved into our adapted needs. We need to take a step back and examine our lives.

I, for one, am grateful for the fact that opportunities are everywhere. I am neither constrained physically nor mentally. I can read, write, and play hockey to my heart's delight. My rights to life, liberty, and security have never been a problem here in Canada. Except in extraordinary situations, those rights are entrenched into the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Other people have not been so lucky. Look at Nick Vujicic.



I've always believed in lowering the disparity of wealth in my own personal life. When I find a decent job, I'll most likely donate a sizable proportion of my income to various charitable organizations in order to receive income tax benefits rather than paying directly to the government. Ironically enough, bureaucratic jobs interest me. In any case, I'm not a Communist. If anything, Vujijic embodies the capitalist belief that trying hard equals success. I just believe in diminishing the gap between the rich and the poor. Is that so bad?

This year, I will sacrifice my Sunday bakery snack for the next two months and donate 80 cents (the cost of a curry beef bun) each week to the World Vision collection initiative at my church. In addition, I will send a shoebox filled with toys to Samaritan's Purse Canada's Operation Christmas Child as I have done so for the past seven years.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!