My teen son and I were talking the other night, about the political spectrum and supposed dichotomy of left and right.

His observation:  (and to be honest, I don't know whether this is his original thought, or if he heard it from someone else, but I like to think he is brilliant!)

When you get to the far right, you are a survivalist who wants to live in a good protected community, grow your own organic food free from dangerous chemicals,  store it for future use, build your own dwellings, use your supplies wisely in order to nurture and provide for your family and friends.

When you get to the far left, you are a hippie who wants to live in a good protective community, grow your own organic food free from dangerous chemicals, store it for future use, build your own dwellings, use your supplies wisely in order to nurture and provide for your family and friends.

The differences?  The ones on the right are more likely to own firearms for protection.  The ones on the left are more likely to grow certain plants in their gardens. If you are "mellowed out" you can't shoot straight anyway, nor do you care if others are stealing your stuff.  

Tags: Preparedness Survivalists Communes

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Reminds me of an old joke.
Husband: "They make the perfect couple!"
Wife: "Why do you say that?"
Husband: "The holes in his head match the rocks in hers!"

In a marriage, the partners are given the opportunity to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. Looking past the roles of husband/father - wife/mother, and more into the personal traits, it can be very challenging.

In temporal areas, the wife is neat, the husband is sloppy - the wife teaches the husband to be neat (in a loving way, of course). Or vice versa, and they learn to keep the house neat together. When both going into the marriage are already neat, their household will always be tidy.
The husband budgets and is good with money, the wife is a spendthrift - the husband teaches the wife to manage money better (in a loving way, of course). Or vice versa, and they learn to pay tithing, go over the bills and balance the bank statements together. When both are budget-conscious from the beginning of the marriage, they will always have emergency funds available.
 Sometimes it's really easier to say "Here, you take care of the banking (or whatever), and I'll take care of the vaccuuming (or whatever), and then we won't argue (discuss in a loving way) anymore!" I wonder if that is the best solution? As long as the person in charge of vaccuuming never resents being the one doing ALL the vaccuuming ALL the time, it provides functionality in the home, that is to be sure.

But if we are to truly complement each other, shouldn't we want to learn and share in and emulate the best attributes of the other person? (Considering not just household management tasks, but also spiritual qualities.)

Then again, I suppose there are those spouses who are just plain untrainable in some areas, and look forward to that day when we are made perfect, and our longsuffering will have been worth it.

Tags: Marriage

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