Lead, follow or get out of the way.
October 27th, 2009 by John MorrisToo often, some people go for a bad fourth option. When they do, they become obstructionists. One such person is my uncle. No names here, but here’s a hint: I have only one.
People like my uncle complain incessively about what productive people do. Since they usually don’t do anything, there’s no way to know if they have any viable input. Usually they don’t. They are best described as road bumps on the highway of life. Enough about them.
I find myself in one situation where it’s better for me to get out of the way.
A friend/neighbor wants me to support his efforts against our mayor. The rift between them centers on his strongly held second amendment views. Our mayor has come out in support of restricting some officials from carrying guns. My neighbor takes great offense and views her heresy as thumbling domino #1 leading to the gun squad coming for his.Â
Here’s my conflict. The mayor is a long time supporter of my memorial committee’s efforts. At a pivotial moment when we needed local officials to side with us, she stepped up to our side. Her support was crucial, important and uplifting. I won’t betray her because of it.
I regret disappointing my neighbor. There will be some fallout, but we’ll deal with it. My sense of what is right and how we conduct ourselves with others requires me to sit this one out.