Do you know why, after all these years, we still struggle so badly when discussing difficult issues in America, including issues of race, religion, and politics? Because as soon as people hear something that makes them feel guilty or uncomfortable, too many immediately reject what they hear, attack those who speak, and try to invalidate experiences and perspectives that don't match their own. Functioning this way stunts our growth and makes it very difficult to live peaceably with our neighbors (consider Rom 12:18).
Rather than listen and work to understand what others think and feel, too many people would rather lob grenades and retreat to the lazy, self-validating view that the folks they never bothered to listen to in the first place are all wrong anyhow. Too many people would rather think they are right and have always been right than do the work necessary in order to actually be right. This is nothing new, of course, but it is as profoundly unhealthy and divisive a dynamic today as it has ever been. And this attitude makes it exhausting to discuss things that actually matter.
Let’s be better. Let’s be honest enough to acknowledge that we assume a lot in life. Most of us decided we were right before we ever did any critical thinking on the things we are most passionate about. We don’t know as much as we sometimes pretend. We can be wrong also, and we are wrong more often than we care to acknowledge. Our experiences, no matter how much more vast they may be than someone else’s experiences, are incredibly narrow.
Let’s be more open. This doesn’t mean we will necessarily change the positions we hold. If we are open, we will change our thinking sometimes. But we will almost always improve the way we think about and treat others, and that’s vitally important even if our positions remain the same.