A long time ago, someone told me: "Never try to teach a pig to dance. It just frustrates you and irritates the pig."
I take this to mean: Never try to argue with someone you know is never going to see your point. It is just a waste of time--both yours and theirs. I used to spend a lot of hours trying to debate topics, pushing to convince people of my point while they were staunchly trying to convince me of theirs. It was an incredible waste of my life. They weren't going to change their minds, and I certainly wasn't going to change mine. Once you reach the point where you realize this fact, all conversation is moot.
I don't argue much about anything any more. If a person agrees with me, great. If they don't, sometimes we can have a nice discussion. If they absolutely don't, and they're firmly set in their opinions to the point where even dialogue is impossible, then I am happy to end the conversation and let them go on their merry way. Or, if I still value them as a person for other reasons, I can happily skirt the trouble topics and have intelligent discussions about other things.
Don't misunderstand me, though. I still have the urge to Dance with the Pig, especially when the issue is one I feel strongly about, but through a little self-control, I can usually manage to ignore the urge.
PS. Please note: "Pig" is a euphemism, and doesn't mean I think every person who disagrees with me is porcine in nature... just most of them. ;o)
Thursday This n That
18 hours ago
3 comments:
I have that problem with my dad. He is so set in his ways, he doesn't care to listen to anyone's opinion much less consider it as truth. Unfortunately, that is why we don't have a good relationship right now.
I'm with you on this one. I'm non-confrontational by nature to begin with so debating most any issue takes a LOT of energy - energy which I can usually apply better elsewhere.
My dad... Well he's a subject for another post. I'm a lot like him. He was a very opinionated man. Unfortunately, our opinions were usually different. Once I learned to accept that he would never change, we got along fine.
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