By V. Hugh Lewis II, publisher
I grew up in the 70s and 80s and lived out in rural Bowie County for a good chunk of that time.
The clock radio in the dining room was on from 6 a.m. to 8-9 p.m. every day. It was always tuned to a country station and belted out Loretta, Waylon, Kenny Rogers, George Jones, and others of that era.
I had a stereo in my room and tuned it over to Y102 rock and roll from time to time, but mostly it was on the same station as the dining room.
When mom and I moved into town in the 80s, mom continued the country theme and added gospel to our listening background.
Needless to say, when I went to work at 13 as a DJ at a local roller-skating rink, I was in for a shock as patrons asked for music or bands I’d never heard or with whom I was only vaguely familiar.
I caught up in the 80s and early 90s, but quickly shifted back into pattern and only listened to what I knew.
Forty years later, not much has changed. I still listen to “old” country and “classic rock,” but I almost never have a radio on anymore.
The point?
Well, I missed a lot of really good music growing up because I didn’t take the time to stop and listen to the music on the other dials.
And that’s true today for most everyone. And no, I don’t mean with musical performances.
Today it’s very easy to just listen to those who agree with us, or our political viewpoints. We tend to listen to only what some guy in our party of choice has to say and we follow along because “we’re the same and we feel the same way.”
But what have we missed? And what have we not learned because we only listen to one side?
A lot.
And how do we tend to resond when someone asks a question that challenges what we’ve been believing because it’s all we’re hearing? We get hostile. We get mad.
The result is we lose friends, acquaintenances, and people we probably could learn from if we’d just take the time to “turn the dial” and listen to what they have to say with an open mind.
I challenge you to take the time and listen to someone who’s younger – or older – than you are. Listen to their opinion openly – don’t just tell them they’re wrong or they don’t know – because they might.
Their experiences are different. The way they grew up is different from today. It doesn’t mean their ignorant or don’t understand. It means they have different priorities and a view of how they think those priorities can be accomplished.
It’s a different world than it was in the 70s or 80s.
It’s a different world than it was in the 50s or the 2010s.
We have to listen to each other though, or we’re not going to be happy with the 2020s.
Sorry that I am late responding to this, but this is 100% spot on. I think it’s also entirely possible to listen to the other side and still maintain your beliefs, i.e. respectfully disagreeing. If I may take liberty here with what has been written, that is the crux of this whole commentary. When we don’t listen at all, i.e. show the respect of someone else speaking, then it becomes impossible to “respectfully” disagree.
To be perfectly frank, liberals can have conservative friends, and vice versa, still maintain beliefs, disagree when applicable, and agree when applicable. My biggest issue is when something is 100% common sense, but because the person speaking may be of a different political persuasion, we immediately dismiss what they are saying. That, to me, is the very definition of insanity, and it is not a very southern thing to do. Whether you are a gentleman, or a lady.
Also, it shouldn’t stop people from having coffee together in public, without people jeering, or speaking in whispers. People can have coffee together, and still disagree on some things, while still enjoying good company.
To me, that is what Marion County should be, and I think is returning to. Thanks for the article. Well written.