Commonality verses Adversity

by Maria Lisa Polegatto                                 

In this age, we need to look for common ground instead of adversity to move forward with compassion, collaboration and humanity. We must seek to agree on issues we can agree on first. Then we can move forward to deal with the issues of adversity to then move to resolve conflict and disagreements by looking deeper into issues to see the commonality and bring that forward to continue to move forward again and again.

It is not a world of win and lose anymore. It needs to be a world we can all survive. Not survive for our mere selves but rather for a collective survival of humanity. We have too much adversity on us now in terms of climate crisis, environment, war, poverty, employment, nature and species extinctions for beginning examples. We need to move to a place of collaboration, innovation, invention and helping one another. We need to start with our home, our family, our community. Getting back to the basics of survival is going to be a must this year.

While some in the world are grabbing at resources for themselves and pulling back on helping other countries, we must look to home and start there. We can overcome adversity with careful observation learning, and understanding of issues. We need to partner with collaborative partners. 

We must not get drawn into the drama and concentrate only on that which leads to hatred. Such an awful word but a far worse emotion that draws negative actions, adversity and war. We can succeed by working with those that wish to work collaboratively and for the benefit of all parties instead. Life is too short for adversity. Let us find commonalities and work with those that love as we do.

We can define both common ground and adversity in many different ways. Here is a brief list below to consider on this path ahead of us. 

Common Ground                        verses                        Adversity
positive                                                                              negative
love                                                                                     hate
share                                                                                  take
compassion                                                                       cruelty
innovation                                                                         stagnation
collaboration                                                                     resistance
agree                                                                                  disagree
forward                                                                              backward
partnership                                                                       disconnection
strong                                                                                weak
home                                                                                  foreign
community                                                                        alienation
similarities                                                                         differences
learning                                                                              ignorance
beneficial                                                                           detrimental
functioning                                                                        dysfunction
helping                                                                               control
graceful                                                                              demeaning
peace                                                                                  war
survival                                                                              annihilation
humanity                                                                           the end

​Reading the two lists above, can you feel the difference in meaning of common ground and adversity? Which do you choose?  I chose common ground.