I have learned in life to pick my fights. It amazes me how many times people can argue over the silliest little thing. Is the "offense" worth arguing?
I have a neighbor who gets his Victoria's Secrets in a twist at any and every little thing; one of his adjoining neighbor's grass gets blown into his yard when it's mown. Police have been brought in for even sillier "infractions". Even if a post is ludicrous in our opinion it still begs the question "is this worth arguing?"
Sometimes I have difficulty getting my words to come out right when presenting a question or comment. It is easy to misunderstand others especially in writing; many times we forget only about 10% of live conversation is words - most is tone, inflection, and body language; written communication losses all of that plus some. Locale, age, and personal "taste" affects our opinion; one person may think Irises are the only flower on earth while my neighbor's 5 year old thinks her dandelions are the most wonderful centerpiece ever picked; the enthusiasm of both is just as avid.
Opinions are just that - opinions. If we will look at them with an open mind we can glean something even if we don't agree. A lady down the street loves pink flowers but pink is not generally on my list, it doesn't make her blooms any less beautiful (and yes there are a few "pale red" blooms in my yard); I have found a couple things she grows that DO come in colors I like - I would never have known about them if I hadn't asked about her pink ones.
Turning things into personal assaults hurts rather than helps. Looking at differences as learning possibilities can change our little worlds in ways we never thought possible.
