Questioning Reason

Everyone has reasons for making choices in life. We may not always know what it is at the time, and other times we have over analyzed every possible consequence surrounding our choices to give us an explainable reason. I feel it is absolutely acceptable to question another persons reason and decisions. It is very important when we question their reason to have an open mind and try to understand their thoughts. This does NOT mean that we have to agree with them.

Let's get into a topic that everyone may feel differently about for different reasons. Homeschool versus public or private school. I understand why some choose to homeschool, but I don't agree with it. This does not mean that I will not be friends with them or support them in their choice. It simply means it is not the right choice for me based on my own personal reasons. Just as public or private school is not the right choice for them based on their personal reasons. If I were to be asked by someone why homeschooling is not for me, I would be completely honest and list off all the pros and cons that I have thought about and why my reasoning for one was a better choice to me over the other. It is very possible that everything I think is a pro, is a con to the other. Therefore our reasoning will not be the same. There also will be those who have all the same pros and cons, and that is what led them to homeschool. Same reasons, different choice.

We also can have several people that make the same choice, but have different reasons for doing so. It is still acceptable to question their reason, even if you agree on the final decision. It is important to understand each other more than to just agree on the final outcome. I may feel that a structured learning environment, where social skills are developed daily is one reason for not homeschooling, and another may feel that they don't have the patience to stay home and stay on schedule is their reason for not homeschooling. Different reasons, same choice.

My point is, it is typically not a personal attack on you when someone has a different translation of their reason than you. I can not judge a parent who chooses to homeschool. The negatives that I view on the topic does not mean I feel those negative things about them personally. I also can not judge a parent who chooses public or private school for a different reason. The pros to the final outcome are not automatically associated to these people on a personal level. Just because someone makes the same choice as me, does not mean I will agree with everything they do.

The world is so defensive these days and has a 'right or wrong' attitude. If you don't do what 'they' say to do, then you are wrong. We need to get over this in our everyday lives. We need to start questioning the reasons behind all the right and wrong and see if our translation of the situation is even the same. Use your own reasoning to make choices that are right for you and keep in mind that others have that liberty also. So if they do it differently than you, they are not wrong either. If we stopped and talked about reasoning and actually listened to others to understand them, we would have a lot more in common than we think.