Friday; December 4

The other day I was doing some research on a quote and it led me to an interesting discovery. The quote is “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”. Several people have utilized this quote, but maybe the best known is Dale Carnegie in his book, “How To Win Friends And Influence People”. As I bounced around in cyberspace I landed on a site called “Universal Ethics” that appears to be hosted by Arthur de Leyssac. The reason I am going to this much effort to cite my source is because I believe that someone with a good idea deserves to be recognized. On their site I saw this quote, “A public debate might convince the audience but it generally won't convince the opposing debater. If you really want to convince a specific person rather than an audience, do it in a one-on-one conversation, don't do it in public, and treat it as a joint initiative for discovery rather than a contest.”. The author goes on to say that sometimes people aren’t interested in changing their minds, other times they are interested but may not be ready to believe something new. Sometimes they may be interested but not receptive, or receptive but not ready. And even if they are interested, they may need time to mull it over before they change their opinion.

As I pondered these words of wisdom, I got to thinking about how we go about trying to convince people. Do we try to inspire them to change or bulldoze them into accepting our way? Do we give them time to digest something new and different or call on them to charge right here, right now? Do we seek to sow the seed of a new thought or overwhelm with what we feel to be irrefutable evidence?
When we discuss differences with people, let’s give them the time so listen, learn and understand. When we do, we might find a true convert, not just someone who voices agreement but maintains a dissenting opinion.

Think About It!

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