Right & Nice

It's really easy for us to make the views of other people seem silly.

I cringe inside when I hear people bashing on other perspectives like that--"logically" ridiculing them.

I even wince when it is someone who shares a perspective with me does this to others.

Cuz I've heard the opposite side, using the same method to make what I think seem ridiculous.
Neither side accomplishes much in terms of convincing the other.

However.

I still believe that truth exists. Unvarying, absolute truth regardless of circumstance.
Kinda a bold statement, eh?

For a while I really struggled trying to find a balance between respecting what others believed but believing that there is a real answer somewhere.
Wanna know what I found?

For one thing, we don't always understand the truth as well as we think we do. We're all a few puzzle pieces short of a masterpiece.
For another, beating people over the head with truth when we find it (or think we find it) doesn't make them like us, or that truth, very much.
Lastly, even if an idea we have is 100% right, our actions are 100% wrong when we treat people badly.

Don't get me wrong....I think we should definitely stand strong in our beliefs...keeping in mind the three things above.

There is value in coming up with logical defenses or evidence for what we believe/think.

But when you do that...are you trying to get more informed?
Or are you trying to win? To be right?
(Ok. Ok. I'll get off my soap box long enough to acknowledge my own weakness at this. Why the heck do we humans feel the need to come off as right all the time?? We know we aren't always right! Sigh. Someday I guess we'll get over ourselves ha!)
(Tangent--this just made "all I do is win, win, win no matter what!...hands go up! and they stay there, and they stay there!" pope into my head. Whoa. Meaning pop into my head)

Let's just be nice even when we're right. Deal? :)

How do you measure your standing in life? By arguments you win or points you prove? (Guilty. Who likes being wrong ha?) I don't think any of us would really say our satisfaction in life comes from being right. But sometimes we forget. So it's good to remember :) Ha! Reminds me of:

And all this reminds me of a speech by Dallin H. Oaks:
http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2011/10/truth-and-tolerance?lang=eng&query=dallin+h+oaks+truth+tolerance+ces

Brilliant.

:)

PS (3/29) Just got back from CS Lewis Society--a fabulous book club ha. A few of the ideas bouncing around there expanded my thoughts:
-Truth is not only seeing the same things from different/better perspectives, it is opening yourself to completely new things.
-Learning doesn't mean you stop and limit yourself to what you just discovered. It means you realize so much more is possible than you thought before.
-That being said, I loved what one girl said (quoting a professor): don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out :) I feel like drifting through life without really believing anything is an equally dangerous opposite of being closed-minded.

Kthanks :)