We all love and hate them altogether. At some point in our lives, we may bump into different people with each of their own quirks and taste. It's alright to disagree as long as you don't treat others like garbage.
This chapter is gonna be different and offer you a quick course on dealing with disagreements.
1) Take it all with a grain of salt.
You may have stumbled upon this phrase before. It simply means that whatever the other party has to say shouldn't be taken seriously and stop you from thinking for yourselves. If I were to say "This popular book isn't perfect based on my knowledge," please don't hate me! We're all friends here 🙂.
2) Avoid throwing insults, name-calling and mocking someone's intelligence to push a point.
In case you're actually dealing with a kid who might come off as naive and misguided, it's best to consider how this kid sees things. Try swallowing your pride and politely tell them the things they could have missed.
How do you suppose people are gonna respect you if all you do is call them "stupid" and "naive"?
3) Fighting anyone who disagrees with you is NOT OK.
Why can't people on the Internet just block and ignore that person if they didn't like his or her opinion? It's fine to call someone out who is outright racist, misogynistic, insensitive and causing trouble (e.g. criminals/bullies/spreading misinformation).
If neither your friends, neighbors or relatives fall into any of these categories, you shouldn't treat them like an enemy for not seeing eye to eye with you.
4) Don't assume, question and gaslight others for thinking otherwise.
It's very annoying that others would say "Maybe you'll change your mind" (unnecessary assumptions), "That's what you think!" (an example of gaslighting) or "Why do you have to be so disagreeable?" (questioning).
While some of my opinions may change overtime, it simply won't happen because people told me to. We have no full control over what others think and the only thing we can do is respect where they're actually coming from. Trying to bring someone down for their individual thoughts is just plain toxic!
If a girl happens to say that having kids isn't gonna be her cup of tea, it could mean that she 1) doesn't wish to screw up another person's life like her own parents did to her and 2) is considering the possible challenges of being a parent.
5) Don't shove words into people's mouths and then twisting their words (because you hate disagreements).
It's important to step back, try hearing/reading what is actually being said and avoid claiming stuff that's not even there.
Here's a clear example. Let's say a friend or sibling is not into BTS (a popular Korean group). Everybody else in this room - including myself - happens to love BTS. It doesn't matter whether he explains to us or not as long as he is still being respectful.
There is a difference between "Meh. I don't like BTS, not my cup of tea" and "I don't like BTS because they're bad and those who do should be ashamed of themselves!"
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Doc Express The Cat (Essay On Everyday Topics)
Random"Nobody wants to be talked down. Even at a young, people can already think for themselves. All they want is for the grownups to listen and be open about discussing complicated issues (e.g. growing up, relationships, mental health, culture, beliefs)...
