A diverse point of view…
makes you sound weird…
to a lot of people.
There is one thing I have noticed in the US that I haven’t noticed in Europe:
Having a divergent opinion makes you sound aggressive
This is a cultural thing.
Expressing different opinions in the US brings you enemies.
Why?
Because people tend to group with people who are alike and think the same way.
Because saying, “No, I don’t think so” makes you sound like you are looking for a fight
In France, expressing opposite points of view and even arguing over different points of view is fine and actually expected
Competence is shown through opposition
If you are able to see something no one has seen before and you are able to express it and prove it, then everyone will recognize your competence
You can argue an opinion and stay friends and even become closer friends
In the US, trying to have a conversation is a huge challenge
If every time you are trying to say something different you feel like you are going to make enemies, you probably will end up saying nothing and keep to yourself and follow the majority
Your voice will be smothered
In 1977, Lee Ross demonstrated the “false consensus effect” in which we assume that others think the same, but when they don't, we assume they have negative personality traits.
This is one of the major obstacles we are confronted with when we talk about compassion.
Why do we assume people who have different opinions are bad people or are stupid or even did not get it or are aggressive?
I think that’s why the US is so partitioned into tribes. That’s why race and social status have come to mean so much to people.
Being different is almost a political strike
Compassion cannot be obtained in these conditions
How can we be compassionate when we are not opened to what others have to say?
How can we communicate when we are only ready to hear what we want to hear?
Think about it.
Diverse points of view
You need to let them exist