When we label another person, we drastically reduce the possibility of ever having a decent relationship with him or her. Unfortunately, labeling others is increasingly common:
—If you have a single opinion more conservative than me, you are a red, ignorant, bigoted, paranoid hotheard.
—If you have a single opinion more liberal than me, you are a weird communist, looney tune, socialist, hippy freak.
All of these statements are absurd. Just because I am aware of one opinion out of thousands that you hold, I don’t know much about you.
The people with whom I actually maintain strong relationships hold a complicated set of opinions and beliefs. Some are socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Others are mainly libertarian, except when it comes to a couple of core issues. The better I know them, the easier it is for me to understand—and appreciate—their story..
When we fall into the trap of thinking that everyone who disagrees with us is dangerous/dumb/irrational, we ourselves start acting stupidly. A far better strategy is to talk, listen and learn. You have common ground with the vast majority of people on this planet, so please take the time to find it.
Comments