We do hear of those who cut all ties with family over property disputes or differences in political affiliations, but those are rare cases. Imagine if we shun all those who we disagree with on various issues; soon, we will be left with no one to call family or friend. You will begin to live in splendid isolation.
A simple way to break out of the self-isolation punishment is to try and see the larger picture. Popular science writer and cosmologist Carl Sagan said that every one of us is precious in the cosmic perspective. If someone disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another! Relationships are not about being on the same page all the time. If that were so, life would, indeed, be a crashing bore.
There was this friend’s daughter who loved to argue – over anything and everything. So, one day, during an outing, post lunch, there was a lull, when everyone was quiet, satiated with the food and generally feeling at peace with the world. The girl suddenly pipes up and in an animated voice, declares, ‘Hey, let’s argue about something!’ The spirit of interactions and arguments is about healthy debate and discussion, and not about being mulish.