Discussion

Our culture is constantly dealing with difficult situations. All around us in our fast-paced world and a land of diverse thoughts, opinions and positions on all sorts of issues, there seems to be a growing trend. It is easy for us, as social creatures to be close to those who think and act just as we do. Birds of a feather often flock together comes to mind. In such a culture, it is very easy for us to grow to have a hostile attitude towards those who have different thoughts, opinions and positions on issues than ourselves. Why have we come to this? We are a sophisticated culture, living in an age where information is all around us and technology is constantly increasing and improving day by day. In the blink of an eye, we can send messages to the other side of the globe. So why have we not, as a society, created a formal way of discussing issues that doesn't involve slander, misinformation, name-calling and a tribe-like mentality? Certainly there is nothing inherently wrong with being around those who think like us, and it is understandable why our company should be usually kept by those with similar opinions or interests. But, what if we, were to start having these real, deep discussions in ways where honor is still bestowed to someone on an opposing position. We certainly should be mature enough to agree to disagree if we cannot reach some conclusion that is agreed upon shouldn't we? So, what steps would we take to really change the way we have deep, thought-provoking conversations? I will propose some ideas for an “outline” of how I personally think discussions should be had.

The first step I would say towards discussion should be to conduct ourselves in a respectful and honorable manner. Our mannerisms should reflect that the person we are discussing with is respected and honored as a person, even if our perspectives may differ. It is always wise for us to strive to peaceably conduct ourselves with others. You can in no way hope to reach anyone in any meaningful way unless you show a person that they are respected as a person. Even if you may not get your point across, or if maybe your thinking is in some way in error on your part, you will at least have maintained being respectful and not aggressive or directly offensive towards another person. I believe that in many areas such as formal debates, talks, elections etc if we were to just at least lay a foundation of respect towards another, we could really change the way we go about tackling important issues. Even a small change could go a long way with time.

The second thing I would suggest is looking how to formulate good arguments and reasoning. I personally think it would be amazing to try to teach things like philosophy in earlier grades. To learn at a young age along with science and mathematics to be able to formulate arguments that are reasonable and logical could really revolutionize the way we go about our lives. But for now we should probably work with learning to just engage properly with others. Coupling this with a basis of honor and respect, true reasoning could be done. Where we are being reasonable, along with using sound reasoning to reach conclusions.

Lastly, I think we should take away the negative view many have about arguments. When many hear the word “argument”, they can see this word in a negative light, due to many of us in our experience having “arguments” lead to shouting, cursing, and ill behavior. I think that using the term “discussion” is better, since in the minds of many people, this term does seem to be more “open” and engaging than the former term. It would be interesting to see how debates or conversations would change with simple changes in the terms we use.

To conclude, my suggestions for changing discussions are for us to emphasize respect, to attempt to use formal reasoning in discussion while maintaining honor towards others, and finally to choose our terms so that they reflect that these conversations and debates can be seen as beneficial and not outright detrimental or to be avoided. I think that if people are going to discuss issues important to them, we should strive to engage having honor and respect, being reasonable and choosing our words wisely. I hope that I might have left a positive impact on you this day. I hope to improve my content and pray for the best for all reading. Thank you for your time.