I was sitting at a dinner party on Saturday night when the conversation took a turn towards politics. It didn’t take long to realize that their was one individual on the other side of the landscape as everyone else. At this point someone should have just stopped the conversation.
I don’t mind debating a topic but when it’s blatantly obvious that no one wants to hear the other sides argument then you’re locked in a stalemate and you’re just arguing. That isn’t conversation nor is it enjoyable so really what’s the point?
I decided the best course of action for myself was to leave the table and it worked out much nicer for me at the time but it still bothers me.
As a society we are really poor communicators and I will lump myself into that mix even though it has been something I’ve been working on for the past five years or so. It’s no wonder we can all be so divided when everyone wants to be right.
Even when I somewhat agreed with my “opposition” it didn’t feel like we reached any sort of middle ground. Somewhat agreeing wasn’t good enough – it had to be all or nothing.
So the next time you find yourself in a scenario like this either try to understand where the other person is coming from even if you don’t agree or politely remove yourself. Wouldn’t you rather spend time on doing or talking about something you actually like?
A History of Stupidity 