Saturday, June 11, 2011

Genesis 13

"Then Abram said to Lot, 'Please, let's not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives.  Isn't the whole land before you?  Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.'"
Genesis 13:8-9

Many people would call this "running away from the problem" instead of fixing it, but I think that this is the best solution for this particular type of problem.  Separation of the quarreling individuals immediately has the desired result: no more quarreling.  It also gives both parties the time and space to freely work through things their own way without worrying about what the other will think or say.

Unfortunately, with today's instant communication through email, Facebook, etc., this solution is a lot harder to use than it once was.  Even if two people live in different states or even on different continents, they can still quarrel endlessly over subjects whose application makes very little difference in the real world.

Sometimes, in order to get away from the problem, we must block emails or Facebook messages from certain people, even though they might be a close relative or friend, just to avoid further quarreling.  However, this often incites even further quarreling about the topic of "Why did you un-friend me?"  Either way, there's often no good way to end a feud between loved ones.  Either one person "wins" the argument and leaves the other dejected, the two go their separate ways and lose their closeness, or the quarrel continues...

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