Q&A: Listening to Other People’s Opinions
Listening to Other People’s Opinions
Question
Good morning,
In this election period, I occasionally find myself discussing political issues with people, and most of the people around me think differently from me.
Of course, it is perfectly fine to think differently, but I notice that with most people it is impossible to have a substantive discussion based on logical arguments.
For example, when I argue against Ben-Gvir / Netanyahu, the response is that a lot of people vote for them (and if I dare to argue that Hitler also had many voters, I get rebuked for the “comparison” between Bibi – Ben-Gvir and Hitler, which of course I did not make).
In addition, over time I am being exposed to the fact that more and more things I thought could not possibly be disputed are becoming completely political issues.
For example, yesterday I heard from an educated and normal person that Baruch Goldstein may not have murdered people for no reason at all; maybe the worshippers in the Cave were actually terrorists who tried to attack him, and all that is known is that in the end he died and they died, and it is impossible to know what really happened.
What happens to me in situations like these is that I see no point at all in listening to such “opinions,” which of course then leads to claims that I am living in a bubble.
My question is: what is the right balance between exposing myself to other people’s opinions so as not to be in an environment that only echoes my own views, and on the other hand not wasting my time listening to arguments that go nowhere and to alternative “facts”?
Answer
I have no advice. In my view, the hardest sickness of our generation is the inability to listen. It is worse than anything else, because it prevents the possibility of change and improvement. It is impossible to talk and raise arguments. My site is dedicated, among other things, to promoting substantive discourse in which any argument can be raised in any direction. In discussions with private individuals, not on a public platform or in the media, there is a better chance of that.
I think one should always listen, and afterward decide what to do with it. That does not mean you have to waste your time on it. You have to make decisions and set priorities.