We often become so attached to our beliefs that whatever opinion we hold is objective truth, and anyone who disagrees is objectively wrong.
The problem is, from another perspective, your opinion is dead wrong and the opposition is ‘correct’.
So, what do we do?
We argue, we get angry, we lump anyone who disagrees with us in one big box, and push ourselves further into our own bubble, reinforcing our current thinking.
Why does it have to be this way?
The way I see it, we all get to our own conclusions using the same path:
Each of us interprets and uses the information we receive differently, creating the plethora of perspectives and viewpoints that are alive today.
This variety in our experiences and outlooks should be explored, and discussed – not avoided.
I encourage you to seek to understand opposition before you attempt to persuade (if at all).
And when you do, I think you’ll discover that those we are told are so different than us, really aren’t.
I genuinely believe, at the root of it, we’re all striving for the same things – love, happiness, acceptance, self-worth.
I encourage you to keep your beliefs more fluid than set in stone. It’s then that you can begin to seek to understand, not seek to persuade.
The former helps us claw our way out of our own biases and perspective, and the latter pushes us further into them.