A rabbinical poof!

A wonderful moment with a beloved one... And here's how it went:

Concerning this Thing, which isn't at all important to the discussion, I was correct. My beloved one was correct. But we didn't agree at all.

And here's the good part: At some point, I said "You're right. But so am I. We just disagree about the connection we're trying to make. But you are indeed correct!

Conflict: Poof! Gone!

Being the "right one" doesn't help. Cooperating, however, does.

A friend spoke of a rabbi who was told by person A that Thing X was the way it was. And the rabbi said. "You're right!"

And then person B objected, saying that Thing Y was actually the way it was. Completely differently from Thing X. So the rabbi said, "Indeed--you're right!"

Then someone said "But X and Y are different. They're not the same. They can't both be right!"

The rabbi of course, then said "You also are right."

Being right matters sometimes. But the other person may also be right.

Remember that. Because if you can...

Poof! Conflict gone!

Personally I don't need to keep working over differences that don't exist.

This, too, might very well be right.

Poof!