- Do Not Engage in Fighting
You can listen without judgment. What the other person is saying is their understanding and belief that has nothing to do with you.
- Acknowledge That You Heard You may say something similar to, ” I hear you,” or “You might be right.”
You are not required to agree or disagree. Plan to go and do your own research to add more factual information to your knowledge base to identify and weigh the truth of the matter.
- Redirect the Conversation
Change the topic. Getting into an argument will leave you and the other person very unhappy. You may as well discuss something creative, or productive on which you can have a positive impact.
You will need to make your own decision on how to Survive the Election Season. Make it based on the facts that you have gathered through reading and listening, not merely by what you were told is the correct answer. I recall a professor telling me that statistics can be manipulated to the benefit of the one delivering the information. I think that may be correct for someone delivering the “facts.” Meaning, we can be manipulated to believe something based on the “facts” that are selected to be shared. It seems that if we are not listening to each other with an open and thoughtful mind we will never hear the emotion and concern the other person is expressing because we will be too occupied concentrating on our retort.
Isn’t there an old adage that states never talk about religion, politics, or money? Perhaps, people would be less volatile if they were not so focused on trying to prove who is right, and who is wrong.