What if you're wrong?

Praise,

I saw a tweet this morning about atheists and it got me thinking for a while. I'll share with you.

"Dear atheists, what if you are wrong?

There are two sides you could see this from. First, the atheist perspective, then the question's perspective.

You see, Praise, we're so out of touch with ourselves that we miss opportunities to reflect on why we believe things. When I read the tweet, my immediate reply was "what if they're right?"

The average atheist is probably running back to his facts and figures to strengthen his resolve that there's no God or simply pushing back the question to the God-believer, "what if you're wrong?" A question that usually begets an otherwise unsatisfactory answer, one we will naturally not have been comfortable with if we received it.

"I'm not".

Yet, today's later is not debate the existence (or non-existence) of a God or supreme being. No!

Today is to ask you why you need people to be wrong for you to be right. Right or wrong is black and white, yes. Even more, I wrote to you, yesterday, about how your preferences remain valid irrespective of the next person's experiences.

But it seems that having preferences isn't enough for the average person. Our affinity for 'communal' leads to find people with shared preferences, and when we encounter a resistance, we either apologise for having ours, look for some nuance or try to win.

Does this mean there is no "wrong" in the world?

No, it doesn't. I am no Nihilist. However, what this means is "do not project your preferences on someone else's experience".

Let's talk about preferences and experiences a little bit. The things you like and dislike are a function of the environment you grew in, the friends you made, the music you were exposed to, the food you ate, etc. Even more, it is peculiar to your biological and mental makeup. Certain ailments restrict your preferences, forcing them to become 'dislikes'.

Yet, you're riled up when someone disagrees with you.

While this does not excuse the propensity of some people to be inherently stupid—i.e. despite their own experiences, it just doesn't make any sense—being self aware and empathy are not mutually exclusive.

Do not try to force people's experiences into your bubble. What you'll simply do is look at it only from the lenses of your experiences (the said bubble).

Instead, every time you meet someone with a different outlook, use it as an opportunity to understand why they think that way. Expand your bubble to let their experiences flourish as they interact with you.

Validating their experiences doesn't mean you have to agree with them. What it does, however, is that it provides you an opportunity to share yours too.

And you know to walk away when the gesture you've extended is not returned.

That's what Dale Carnegie referred to in his book when he says, and I paraphrase, find the common ground. Start from what you both agree with. You can't find it, if all you focus on are your differences.

It's a Tuesday, a perfect day for a fine argument.

Enjoy it.

Ciao.

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