Well this sure has veered a bit of course, now hasn’t it? Haha!
There seems to be some animosity built up here. Let’s take a moment to air it out so it can go away.
My intention with my comment wasn’t to upset anyone. It was to participate. I contributed an opinion that was formed by what I was taught by my favorite history teacher many, many years ago. And while his narrative could have very well been total nonsense, and I admit that I never did ask him for citations during his lectures to fact check what he was teaching me… What he explained, how he explained it and it’s peripheral teachings made sense to me then, and make sense to me now. I doubt that they hand out degrees to history majors like Scout Badges. So there were at least a few people that didn’t think that guy was a total wind bag. But I’ve not deluded myself into believing that I have nothing more to learn about… Everything. Anything.
I think when you approach every conversation assuming the person you are speaking to knows something that you don’t, then you leave the conversation better than when you started it. Even if it’s just a little.
Digital dialogue has its constraints. So much of what makes face to face dialogue meaningful is lost in the digital space – body language, emphasis, inflection, tone, eye contact… All of those things lend a monumental hand to the ability of two people to have meaningful conversation. Not to say that meaningful conversation isn’t possible across digital platforms – it can and does happen all the time. But when the participants are struggling to to communicate effectively from the beginning, not having those cues can render the dialogue quite useless.
It’s okay for you to have an opinion that isn’t the same as mine, and even that totally contradicts it. In fact, I’d defend your right to disagree with me as enthusiastically as I’d defend the rights of those who do subscribe to the same narratives I do. The only circumstance I think I’d deviate from that is when someone is willfully or maliciously spreading misinformation. Which is different than having differing opinions or viewpoints.
If you genuinely believe in that my perspective or input is factually inaccurate and not just different from your perspective, I’d be a fool to not keep an open mind and hear you out. That’s a beautiful thing that open dialogue offers! And I love learning! I’d never shut down an opportunity to fortify my understanding of the greatness around me.
But like the old adage explains, you catch more flies with honey, right? Using abrasive and hostile tactics to try to make a point almost guarantees the point will be lost.
And lastly, like so many great narratives, perhaps sometimes people utilize simplicity and easily palatable structure to convey very complex concepts. Ahh, the power of story telling and myth!
Love & Respect,
Faeryn
