Practice makes perfect
You don't think I was just born with my uncanny ability irritate everyone? Remember, the times you actually make someone rethink themselves is a great victory, a rare moment to be savored.
People on this board have done this for me, led me through the rethinking of my position. They are smart enough to know that sometimes it does take a little 'fertilizer'. As long as they are aware that I am smart enough to recognize 'fertilizer' when I see it, I might add.
But always remember to consider that YOU could be wrong, so be sure to read their posts thoroughly. Sometimes people have seen a side of a situation you never considered.
This is where I have tried to be what I originally termed 'open-minded'. I am looking for a better term to express this concept. Do you have any suggestions?
The key is to learn to drop it and walk away when the person you are talking to is attempting to deflect, redirect or intentionally misunderstand you. If you ask specific questions and they don't tackle them head on, point for point, they are probably just liars attempting to keep their self delusion alive. Feck'em.
I understand what you are saying here. From the position of having asked specific questions and those specific questions being deflected, redirected, or reformed. I also remember deflecting redirecting and pretending to intentionally misunderstand a person because I didn't think he could deal with what I was really trying to say without a lot more mental gymanstics and I had grown weary.
A person who I consider a friend on this board once told me, when I expressed my concern about what I saw as biased viewpoints that sometimes when all you have gotten from the other candidate is bias and propoganda, you start having to fight back with a little bit of your own. I have a lot of respect for that person telling me that. I understand both the frustration and wisdom in this, but I also feel it becomes a never ending circle and ends up making it hard to ascertain, or get to, the original fact in the statement.
Always consider that YOU could be wrong, so be sure to read their posts thoroughly. Sometime people have seen a side of a situation you never considered.
This happens often with me. And it is why I often read and reread posts without responding to them. If it is a person that I know will understand I am not trying to put them on the defensive, but want to learn their perspective, and how they came to their conclusion, I will ask. And in doing so, I learn. If I have observed this person ridiculing and defensive of their opinion, I have learned not to give up on the learning, but to seek those answers elsewhere to try to understand their viewpoint. And often their perspective is a good one. I have had to take this roundabout way to get an understanding of ones viewpoint more and more lately, and I am hoping the need to do so eases off a bit after the election.
There have been times I have brought an article to this board and have been questioned about why I brought it, what my intentions were. At first, I felt I was having to defend any article I brought. (and this is where the problem arises with 'articles', is it not?) But this was only a fleeting feeling. I soon became grateful when people asked me about them, and now realize if I am going to post an article a brief reason I am posting it would help others. I am grateful for those on this board that ask, but sometimes it is in watching the responses it provokes on this board where I really learn why it was necessary for them to ask, and why it may have been best not to post the article at all.
I remember one guy who I keep rephrasing my posts to. "No, that is not what I meant. I meant ...". It finally dawned on me that this was his game. He had no intention of dropping his lies. I sent him a PM apologizing for my naivette. I just don't understand holding an agenda in the face of truth. Anyway I dismissed him to his cold angry world.
I think I remember this guy and your having to continually do this. I admired your stamina. You really tried with this guy. And you are right, you did eventually have to dismiss him. No other options were given you.
Oddly enough when people stated to ignore him, he left.
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