Woohoo: disagreeing with me
Disagreeing makes the world go around. In fact, there’s nothing more human.
People can’t be absolutely sure of anything, bound to our own perceptions, our senses and memories. How could we trust our experiences to be true to anyone else but ourselves?
Of course, there is merit in striving for truth; it’s what makes relationships and the law, for instance, function. But the absolute uncertainty of reality always remains.
This doesn’t have to be disappointing, though. Not knowing can be freeing. The inability to know anything means everything could be true. There is space to entertain every idea as true or possible, even if momentarily, because it might be.
This is what makes agnosticism so fun.
So, disagree with me. Let’s talk, let’s have a conversation, let’s look at the world in ways we’ve never thought of before.
Boohoo: being a child
Children see disagreement as a personal attack. To not like the colour green is to not like me, every essence of me, because I like green.
I often receive letters that disagree with writers’ opinions. But one I received recently had only a short legitimate claim against the article, surrounded by attacks on the author personally: the letter writer cited the author’s name several times, made sure to call them “foolish,” and repeatedly questioned The Peak’s editorial process, which allowed for such an article to be printed.
Elementary school teaches to argue in a disagreement. Aruge, but know that taking the situation too personally, and having the loudest and angriest voice doesn’t make you more correct.
Letters such as this remind me that I have to be an adult, too. I could throw my metaphorical legos at them, but I’d rather take their nuggets of truth, learn from them, and move on.
