A loved one disagreed with me. Essentially he told me, "Don't tell me what to do." I thought about that. I don't want to tell my loved one what to do, but I also don't want to support action that I feel is dangerous. We agreed to disagree.
It is difficult to navigate situations with good friends and family members when you disagree about essential matters.
Long ago, I experienced this with a loved one over a period of time. I spoke up and shared my point of view which was not well received. In time, we simply agreed to disagree and didn't spend as much time together. Could I have approached the situation differently? I don't think so. Looking back, I'm glad that I spoke my truth and acted on my instincts as that helped me to live as I hoped to live. Considering all the issues at hand, issues that were in many ways out of our control, there was no way that my loved one and I would be able to agree.
With the more recent situation, there is also little hope that we'll agree on the issue at hand. Similar to the past issue, I don't want to give up on safe living just to appease a loved one. Instead, we'll have to focus on areas where we do agree rather than the areas where we do not agree. I've read too many stories over my life where people give in to dangerous behavior to appease another person, and then have grave regrets afterwards when the behavior does result in injury and loss.
So, in situations of disagreement, the key is to find common ground and focus on that common ground as you live and work together. Often we have a lot more in common than not, and as I continue down the relational road, common ground will be the way I hope to travel most of the time.