A typical dinner table conversation in our family involves someone taking a position or making an assertion and me taking the opposite viewpoint so we can explore the dimensions of the issue and expose the basis of our beliefs. This sport was never embraced by Jitka, and she would get quite mad at me when it upset our daughter. But as Barbora matured she also grew to enjoy the mental sparring, even though the debates sometimes brought out strong emotions.
Our beliefs and assumptions so strongly influence how we see the world that it behooves us to critically examine them and measure them against opposing views. Firmly held positions should be traceable to a set of fundamental values that, ideally, express the goodness shared by all humanity.
It warmed my heart today when Barbora thanked me for the dinnertime debates while she was growing up because it helped her become adept at identifying faulty thinking, taking opposing views for the sake of argument, and discerning what her core beliefs are.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment