On Boston Legal, William Shatner (Denny Crane) and James Spader (Alan Shore) are the best of friends. While their sometimes unusual politics differ, they ultimately except and support each other. And without their eccentric personalities and entertaining debates, the show probably wouldn’t have the following that it has/had.
Having conversations with people who share strong opinions that differ from your own can be stimulating. They can also be challenging, frustrating, and make you want to pull your hair out. Sometimes, this is unavoidable. However, maintaining an openness towards different points of view can make for less contentious and more meaningful conversation.
An openness towards difference implies an openness towards points of view, opinions, and ideas that differ from your own. It implies a willingness to listen, learn, and question, exploring different ways of thinking and allowing for new ones to emerge through conversation.
This attitude does not suggest that you must embrace the point of view and make it your own, but merely except it, for it will exist whether or not you agree with it. For this reason alone, it’s worth making an effort to better understand it. In fact, by having conversations with people whose opinions differ greatly from your own, you may find yourself more able to clearly express yours.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying coffee and conversation with people who more generally agree with much of what you have to say, but this doesn’t mean that you should avoid people and conversations that require you to listen more actively and yet strongly disagree. However, if you remain open, you may find your point of view shifting.
On Boston Legal, William Shatner (Denny Crane) and James Spader (Alan Shore) are the best of friends. While their sometimes unusual politics differ, they ultimately except and support each other. And without their eccentric personalities and entertaining debates, the show probably wouldn’t have the following that it has/had.
Having conversations with people who share strong opinions that differ from your own can be stimulating. They can also be challenging, frustrating, and make you want to pull your hair out. Sometimes, this is unavoidable. However, maintaining an openness towards different points of view can make for less contentious and more meaningful conversation.
An openness towards difference implies an openness towards points of view, opinions, and ideas that differ from your own. It implies a willingness to listen, learn, and question, exploring different ways of thinking and allowing for new ones to emerge through conversation.
This attitude does not suggest that you must embrace the point of view and make it your own, but merely except it, for it will exist whether or not you agree with it. For this reason alone, it’s worth making an effort to better understand it. In fact, by having conversations with people whose opinions differ greatly from your own, you may find yourself more able to clearly express yours.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying coffee and conversation with people who more generally agree with much of what you have to say, but this doesn’t mean that you should avoid people and conversations that require you to listen more actively and yet strongly disagree. However, if you remain open, you may find your point of view shifting.