In America, this comes in the form of the government. Democrats and Republicans can't even be in the same room at this point, and vote purely on party rather than by issue. This has maifested itself in problems involving the debt ceiling, how the government almost shut down before a last second agreement.
In my own life, I struggle with compromising in my own family, whether it comes in the form of what to have for dinner, or what movie to see. Although the problems aren't life threatening in any way, we all have such complete different opinions and tastes that it is nearly impossible to come up with a meal to eat that we will all enjoy. Someone is bound to be unhappy.
This summer, I read Plainsong, by Kent Haruf. The entire story revolves around compromises being reached or being avoided. Ike and Bobby's parents split up, because they are unable to communicate and reach a compromise. Their mother will not get out of bed in the morning, and their father cannot understand what she is going through. Although he tries, she can't share her feelings with him, and lack of communication leads to the breakup of their marriage. Victoria and Dean cannot come to a compromise regarding their unborn baby, which leads to the baby in the end not having a father. Dean wants to go out and party, Victoria wants to keep her baby safe. She tries to compromise and go out with him one night, where she loses control and drinks, leading to uncertainty about the baby's health. Victoria leaves Dean, who can't see the error in his ways, and loses his family.
Without compromise, nothing gets done. Everyone sits around arguing, letting real problems go by the wayside. If the answer to my question is that compromise doesn't exist anymore, that we must have our way and that our motto is "my way or the highway," , we will need to find a way to handle not being completely satisfied, or we could be in real trouble.
