There are many recent political decisions, made on my behalf, that I am uncomfortable with. Those who made the decisions are not idiotic, nor evil, nor ignorant. They are human beings who have made their careers in politics and who live and breath policy everyday. I am entitled to disagree with the direction that they steer my community/province/country, but I have a responsibility to openly yet critically understand their reasoning before I form an opinion.
Last night, I had a very lively conversation with my brother-in-law about global politics, specifically climate change policy. His scholarly expertise is in business while mine is in natural science and mathematics. I presented what I felt to be right and he countered with what he felt to be true. Undeniably, both ethics and realism are essential for any worthwhile discussion. We argued passionately for a good half hour, then gave each other a warm hug and went about our evening. Later that night, when the heat had subsided, I thought critically about what he had hashed out. He had some excellent points.
No one knows everything, but we all know something. We do not need to completely agree with one another to work together. It is tempting to villainize those whose priorities are different from our own, but portraying the "other side" as evil, egotistical, selfish morons is rarely accurate and does not strengthen our argument. Respectful collaboration and good faith are necessary for progression. Very often we may disagree on specifics while holding general consensus. This is reality.
Thank goodness there is so much for me to learn and so many friends and family members to learn from. Otherwise, life would be rather dull.
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