It was a wonderful, meaningful discussion. The outcome or "take-away" boiled down to
our conviction that the only positive way to engage those who disagree, is to listen deeply, hold
compassion, and be genuinely curious. Asking, "Why would you say you see this issue this way?"
Or, "What life experiences have you had that have contributed to how you stand on that?"
Or, "Can you tell me more about this?"
Hops,
I think I'd rather be dead in a ditch than have had most of the "wonderful, meaningful discussions" I've endured in my life.
And I have to say that your small group must have been very small indeed because, except possibly for you, I've never met anyone else who does any of those things or asks any of those questions. And since neither you nor I have convinced the other of anything that I'm aware of I question even their utility.
It's a very odd world, chock full of very odd people, doing very odd things, usually to the detriment of their fellow oddballs.
The best one can hope for IMO is to avoid the weirdos rather than engaging them and have as much fun as possible.
If, along the way, you can personally give someone a helping hand who truly needs it, rather than coercing your neighbor into doing so, so much the better.
mud
