Some people want to express, but not be exposed to, opinions – and it doesn’t matter what opinion you are voicing or what subject you are discussing, in person or online – some people want a soapbox in a soundproof room where the only feedback they hear is an echo of their own views. Having our opinions challenged is often a difficult and uncomfortable process, but if we take the right to express for ourselves then we must learn to give that same right to others – even when their opinion is at odds with our own. Stand by your own truth, but accept that the truth of another may be different from yours. Learn from this. It is at the fringes of our comfort zone, at the challenging of deeply held views, at the shaking of personal truth, that new ideas are formed or old ideas confirmed. Listening to nothing but echoes of ourselves does nothing for education, learning, growth, understanding, empathy or compassion. If we are prepared to speak, we must also be prepared to listen. – Romany Rivers
http://www.RomanyRivers.wordpress.com
The Poet Priestess 