What to do with dissenting opinions?
Read them. Consider them. Contemplate on them. Look for full or partial truth. Look for the logic. Look for the lies and half truths. Look for the illogic.
We read authors we agree with. Sometimes we need to mix it up and read those that we don’t. As I’ve said before, on his or her best day the best person isn’t completely right and the worst person is completely wrong (although lately I’ve been rethinking that….)
I regularly read and talk with those whom I disagree with. Some are friends. We disagree but accept and love each other anyway. Others I don’t know. I learn much from divergent opinions. Sometimes I even change my mind. There are few things more fatal to success than rigidity of thinking.
We prefer, of course, to read the blogs and other writing that supports and validates what we already believe. That isn’t all bad, but it isn’t enough.
Read a dissenting opinion today.
Will do, Mark!
[...] this month, author Mark Sanborn wrote about the importance of reading dissenting opinions. He reminds us that we can often learn from those that view the world differently than we do. [...]