Dealing with opinions different than your own

Being able to deal with other opinions with a level head has always been a useful skill, but in current times its never been more helpful. I invite you to use this article to find new insight on how…

This isn’t a political post, but it is pretty obvious that it was heavily inspired by recent global events.

All over the world you can see a big problem with people not being able to agree on many topics. This isn’t a new phenomenon of course. Its what people do, but because of social media the arguments are much louder and much more public than they have ever been before.I believe one thing that makes life a lot easier is to understand and accept that there will always be people that see the world in a different way than you. You are always going to meet people that think in a way that doesn’t make sense to you, and you may never be able to make them see things your way. Once you are able to accept this you will be a lot happier.Far too often I see people who will spend hours arguing over the internet in an endless battle, causing themselves and the opposite party endless frustration.Almost always ending up with neither side agreeing.Sometimes this can even ruin friendships or relationships with people. 

In extreme cases it can divide communities or nations. 

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.-Marcus Aurelius

There are, of course, some things that are not just a matter of opinion. There are opinions or ideologies out there that are 100% wrong without a doubt. This article isn’t about choosing a side or pointing them out though. The ideas that can be easily discredited with science or just plain common sense are easy to figure out for a lot of us.

This makes it even more mind-boggling, upsetting, or infuriating for some people when they come across those who hold opinions such as these.

So the main idea i want to put out in this article is this,

Nobody would have an idea they believe in, and know is wrong.

Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.  -Oscar Wilde

Opinions are able to come from ignorance, they are able to come from people teaching the wrong thing, society can create them and enforce them.

But,

If a person was aware that the way they think was wrong, they would most likely not believe it anymore. The things people are willing to debate over, are the things that they really believe are true.So it doesn’t matter what you think, if in that persons world, they are right. So when you approach somebody with an opinion different than yours you need to do one simple thing…

Think about something that you believe in. Something that you KNOW is right.

Now think about what, if anything, would be able to make you change your mind.

The answer to that could be many things, but i can guarantee the following aren’t on the list.

Being:

• called stupid, or ignorant, or a terrible person
• treated like less of a human being
• physically attacked
• confronted with anger or hatred
• made afraid to speak your mind

Negative reactions to an opinion are never going to bring a positive result.

It seems these days with many things, people are more worried about not having to hear opinions that they disagree with, than they are about actually fixing them.If a person is attacked for what they believed, they may not show what they believe anymore, but once they are alone or with like minded people again, they will still be the person they were before. This does not fix the problem, and in many cases will usually end up with the person or group that has been pushed into hiding eventually pushing back.There are many opinions or ideas or mindsets out there that I believe are either outdated, proven wrong, or just morally and ethically do not make sense.

But I also believe the majority of people are not approaching it the right way, and not giving the time needed for things to shift.

Things that have been ingrained in society can not be fixed overnight.

This can be incredibly frustrating, some things much more than others, but I invite you to take a step back and really think about how you approach changing them.I also invite you to remember that perhaps the way you view things is not perfect either. If you calm down, and have a rational conversation with someone that has a different opinion, you may be able to properly understand why they think that way. This could help you figure out a realistic way to get them to change what they think.

You may even enlighten yourself to something you were too stubborn to realize because of your convictions.

With science and reason throughout history, what people believed turned out to be false. So I like to keep an open mind to all perspectives and learn and become more fully realized as a person. I just feel we’re never going to know what the full picture is. -Conor Oberst

Comment and let me know what you think!

This has been an article from my website thepathweshare.org. Check it out for more articles :)