Listen, Build Perspective

To the Editor:

Each time I read opinions, I’m struck by the absolutes - the “shoulds” and “should nots” with no wiggle room. But maybe if I stop advocating my position long enough to listen, and look for reputable resources other than the one or two that I routinely use, ones that present a different perspective than my own, I might build a bit of understanding and tolerance. As I’ve gotten older, traveled, and experienced more, my view of bright lines has gotten grayer. Living in another country and experiencing a culture with different absolutes makes me question whether my own absolutes are as wrong as I consider someone else’s to be. Perhaps both of us are not 100 percent correct.

I will offer a bit of warning with this approach. If pursued, it becomes increasingly difficult to be absolutely confident you are ‘right.’ However, it is equally difficult to get passionately angry, and that’s a trade-off that I’m increasingly comfortable with.