The Inconvenient Take

We don’t want to hear it.

When someone’s point-of-view makes us uncomfortable, our instinct is to run away.

When someone says something to challenge our beliefs or disrupt our worldview, we’re inclined to rationalize why the offending statement is wrong.

I know these feelings well. They distress me too.

And yet, I wonder how many opportunities I’ve missed to understand a different perspective, which would enable me to be empathetic or even enlightened.

There will always be people who hold different positions than our own. Dismissing them without consideration is the easier path, but not necessarily the smarter one.