This month I have been reflecting on just how different all us people are. We like different things, we invest our energy in different ways, we have different priorities — and really we’re all better off because of it.
Differences can certainly be dividers or flash points, but better outcomes are when differences motivate us, expand our understanding of life, or deepen our experience with the world. As festival season winds down, it is a good time to recognize the sheer variety of events and happenings here in Jefferson County. Each one supported by enthusiastic members of our community and attracting their unique crowd of onlookers; no two occasions representing the same groups of people. Just these last few weeks we saw Live Life Loud at the Quilcene Lantern, Port Townsend Woden Boat Festivaland the Jefferson County Farm Tour. Starting tomorrow the Port Townsend Film Festival kicks off — which I mention largely to plug the locally made film Michael and Damian, a documentary touching on the struggles and realities of the unhoused in Jefferson County.
A few years back I distinctly remember biking to Rhody Fest and upon seeing a friend biking the opposite direction I yell out “you’re going the wrong way!” to which they replied “no you are!”. I love the paradox of that moment, because there was truth in both our answers. What might attract one person may repel another, and there is identity and value in each those positions. Personally I am trying to celebrate that dichotomy more. Our differences are what make us human, for a march toward sameness wouldn’t make any of us feel more alive.
So how do we better accommodate each other’s differences especially when they feel in direct conflict with our ourselves? Well that is a difficult one to answer and not one I can claim to know the answer. For me I am trying to dwell less on frustration and redirect more toward empathy. That doesn’t mean backing down from what I believe in, but it does mean sometimes I make adjustments to my stance and I hope sometimes I have the same effect on others as well.
In Community,
Eric Jones
HSN Communication Strategist