Disagree
In the early 2000s, I visited Japan. While walking the streets, I noticed some people wearing face masks. I turned to my friend and said,
How stuck-up. Too good to breathe the same air as everyone else.
Years later, I learned Japanese people often wore masks when sick — to protect others from catching their illness. My only experience with masks was in hazardous industrial areas. They were used to protect the wearer, not the people around them. So I assumed the people I saw thought they were better than everyone else. The truth was the opposite. They wore masks out of respect for others.
The world is complex. We each see it from a unique vantage point. This gives each of us unique, but limited, knowledge. That's why we need to enter conversation with humility — the ability to acknowledge our limitations. I don't have all the answers and neither do you. I need your help to fill my gaps and you need me to do the same. The more we acknowledge how nuanced the truth is, the less hostile we become.
If I disagree with you, I don't assume it's because I'm smart and you're dumb. I set aside the hunt for the slightest misstep in logic or reasoning and instead, get curious. I ask questions and listen. To understand how we can both be looking at the same world, but come to different conclusions. Maybe, if I looked from your vantage point, I would agree with you — and if you looked from mine, you would agree with me.
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