Reply #87: People with strong argument

[mick063]

People with strong argument do not fear the ideas of others. Indeed, it is the failure to share ideas that has crippled this country.

It is all too easy to "tune out" things you don't want to hear.

If you have disdain for the views of FOX news, then don't become like their habitual viewers and "tune out" the rest of the world.

I will point out a disclaimer and draw a comparison:

Carl Sagan once said in a "COSMOS" episode (paraphrased, albeit in quotes as I can't recall the exact quote), "There are more books in the library of Congress than a person can read in a lifetime. The key is knowing which books to read.".

I take that same philosophy when responding to posts (not reading of posts). I try to quickly gage if I am replying to someone that meets my perception of "credible". If they do not appear credible, I place faith that the typical reader that will come to the same conclusion. Perhaps these are people to place on ignore, but they do give me a sampling of folks that are satisfying personal intellectual curiosity through dialog as opposed to playing a video game.

It is the folks with articulate, "thought out" posts that I typically (not all the time) choose to respond to. Especially if they have very different views. These are the folks that carry weight in their ability to build consensus. These are the folks that require response to their ideology. If you can convince one of these folks to adopt some of your ideas, you can take satisfaction in knowing they will use their inherent "domino effect" arguments upon their peers. In that sense, if you are successfull, you have the possibility of changing one vote into two (or more). Don't put them on the defensive. Break down the walls instead. Truth is always difficult to deny. Perhaps the added bonus is that they may enlighten you to "faults" in your own ideaology that need correction.



If I habitually use the "ignore" feature, I will "miss out" on those folks.