Communication with someone who already agrees with your way of thinking is relatively easy. Communication with someone with an open mind can be challenging. But holding the attention of someone whose mind is made up, who already has shut the book on other opinions, this is very difficult. When you are on the left and they are on the right, when you are socially liberal and they are conservative, when you are a Democrat and they are Republicans, (and vise versa) communication becomes very hard.
I try to listen to and read all points of view, but I am constantly amazed at the naivete of those who have closed their minds, are swayed by negativity, and don't realize when they are being manipulated. This can be a scary situation when a large percentage of Americans seem to fit into this category. Prejudice and bias can usurp intelligence and wise decisions.
No matter what your beliefs are, responding to someone who is on the "other side" takes patience, tact, and well- thought out arguments. Reacting emotionally or taking something personally delays constructive debate. When you have lost compassion and no longer honor the opposition, your mind will begin to close.
When the police label a case as open-and-shut, they have opened the investigation, gathered all the evidence, and found the guilty party. When we look at any situation, editorial, blog, or political speech, we need to open our minds, analyze the evidence, and investigate a variety of opinions before closing the case. Please try to keep your mind open just a crack or you will shut yourself out of understanding and being understood.
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