Many families follow the old etiquette teaching: Three things civilized people don’t talk about – Politics, Religion, and Money. How dull! Not to mention how dumb! Our home has never been like that. The Stephenson Family has always been both opinionated and vocal.
The discussions & arguments held around the kitchen table became where we developed our ideas and the ability to communicate them. Why do you believe what you do? If you cannot defend your feelings you are not worthy of them. How did you reach that conclusion? As the teacher says, “Show your work.”
An individual that is afraid or unwilling to discuss ideas simply does not have a clue. They do not have a valid opinion, and are simply parroting what they heard another say. To develop an opinion you need information and experience. So get some! Cultivate an opinion and be proud of it! But be prepared to explain and defend it.
The art of discourse is in jeopardy of fading from our experience. In the public arena, in lieu of discussion and sharing of the facts that create viewpoints, what we see is attempted character assassination. People who do this prove themselves juvenile and shallow to the thinking man. The intelligent observer tends to react in kind and shout the movie line: “Is that all you’ve got?” Or perhaps, “Where’s the beef?”
So, here it is for all the world to see. I hope you enjoy it, and if not, I trust our comments will at least make you think. Thoughtful comments are welcome, but please leave your flames at home. The heat is not acceptable here.
Come now, and let us reason together. Isaiah 1:18
