We live in a time of great political and cultural divide. With inventions like the internet and planes, the world has never been so interconnected, and while this connection can be a good thing, it also creates contention as different ideas clash at a pace never before seen in history. We as individuals have opinions about nearly everything. It is a natural and necessary part of human nature for us to share and debate thoughts with others around us. However, with these new fast-paced times more people argue their opinions aggressively, automatically regarding people with views differing from their own as bad, or even morally corrupt (especially online). This is a very unhealthy way of thinking and debating, as it can lead to intense fighting and cause people to become more narrow minded. There are many strategies we can use to avoid this, but for now I will share three of what I think are the most important ones.

(1.) Stop and listen. When in an argument people often try to get out everything they want to say without actually listening to what the other person thinks. This will never convince anyone of anything as both of you will just end up getting angry. Using the stop and listen strategy you can understand the other person’s point of view, and as you take the time to patiently listen and try to understand them, they are then much more likely to want to listen to you in return.

( 2.) Do not only focus on what they believe, but also why they believe it. While what someone believes is indeed revealing about who they are, it cannot be the sole reason in which we judge them. In trying to figure out why someone believes something you can learn more about who they truly are and can really start to understand the other’s perspective. Just going off someone’s general beliefs and opinions lacks the depth necessary to actually form conclusions. 

(3.) Do not treat the argument like it is a battle of good versus evil. Even if you strongly disagree with the person you should still hear them out. This doesn’t mean you have to ever agree with them, but automatically getting it into your mind that the other person is horrible for what they believe makes it possible for more serious fighting to break out. If you get it into your mind that this is just a debate, you can more easily detach the person from the subject. Doing this allows peace and friendship to form more easily even among people who strongly disagree.

 In my opinion, using mindsets like these three help us get along better and function more properly as a society. So next time you find yourself in a heated argument maybe try one of these strategies and just see what happens. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must Learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools.”