Being able to communicate and be respectful is key to dealing with others.
Otherwise called civility. Yesterday I shared a video that had great suggestions to be civil in a conversation. I really liked his suggestions, and had done something similar myself in the past.
We have far more in common than we do that separates us. In fact, I have shared both facts and examples where people realize the small differences that some people allow to divide us.
Lets be honest here. Perhaps there are things that you don’t like about another political party or situation. Of course those exist. It is also true that nations such as Russia, China and our enemies have systematically undermined our civility and unity for as long as they have been able.
Why are we helping our enemies by making division and incivility the standard? We can’t. No matter how obscene and stupid we think someone is, we have to treat them with respect and listen to them. We do not help anyone by living in an echo chamber of only talking to those who believe as we do. We do more to help the world by seeking to understand others. That is exactly what China/Russia/North Korea don’t want us to do.
If you want to change the world for the better, ask thoughtful and sensitive questions. Don’t try to win arguments by logic or facts. Seek to understand why people feel as they do, and don’t judge them. People are allowed to believe things that you don’t believe in, and that doesn’t make them stupid. It makes them human. Think about the times in the past when you believed in something and then changed your mind. Wouldn’t it be fair to say that we get mad at others for ideas we used to share with them? Then how can you get mad?
Look to heal and find common ground. Don’t allow division and hate to take root because society doesn’t live without cooperation.