Elle Madelyn

“If we’re to have genuinely mindful dialog with another person, we have to respect that person. If he or she has a certain point of view, then we shouldn’t assume they hold it because they are stupid or unfortunate enough not to have heard what we have to say on the issue. They almost certainly have a complete set of reasons for believing what they do and acting as they do. If we want to engage effectively in discussion with that person about their beliefs or actions then we have to be prepared to listen carefully to what they have to say, and to ask them questions respectfully that tease out their reasoning. It may well be that that person’s views are self-contradictory on some level, or based on misinformation, but again these things have to be pointed out respectfully, and in an awareness that there are probably glaring inconsistencies in our own position that the other person can help us to see. When we’re explaining our point of view, the emphasis might best be put on laying out how we came to the conclusions we’ve reached rather than on trying to convince the other person that we’re right and they’re wrong.”

Source: Creating harmony: “Seek to understand…” | Wildmind Buddhist Meditation