Fri, May 29 · 7:30 PM PDT
In a world that's extremely polarizing, how we view other people can be a matter of friend or foe.
Too often, we see each other as predictable and somewhat constant with our views. This is most likely due to our experiences with people over time through conversations and other interactions.
The unchanging views have often caused anger and even lost of connections between people because most people tend to see that a person with little change in their perspectives and actions as infuriating as they seem like talking about the same talking points every time.
I believe that humans are persuaded by feelings and empathy, not cold hard facts. The more you push someone your perspectives, the more resistance you'll meet.
Questions to ponder:
From your experience, do most people change their minds on anything?
Are we expecting people to change from a selfish standpoint?
Is it possible that some people have already changed their minds and actions in the past but it's just not to your liking?
Do you view agreeability through similarity as a metric for human connections and friendship building?
How do we get along with people who we deeply disagree with?
Why is it so hard for us to change our minds about certain issues?
How does our worldview on human nature affect our political and religious stances?
Is it possible for a person to change their personality or only their actions & perspectives? (Why do you believe this?)
What does it mean to for a person to change?
What role does ego play in our perspectives?
Do you view a person who's unwilling to change their minds and actions as a bad thing? (If so, why? If not, why?)
What are some things that you are not willing to bent on? (Examples?)
What are your core value? (Examples?)
Do you see every conversation and debate about a sensitive issue with a person with an opposing viewpoint as an attack on your values?
Do you try to empathize and steelman your opponents' arguments?
What about the "other" side's arguments do you have problems with? (Why?)
Are most people speaking just for the sake of speaking but not listening?
What are some signs that someone is actually listening?
What drives us to do the same habits over and over?
In what ways have you tried to change a person's mind on something or their actions in a situation?
How do we know when a person has changed their perspective on something? Is it obvious or subtle?
Guidelines :
If your name on Zoom does not match your Zoom name, you will be removed or not admitted. Hand raises are required. There are no limits on how many times you can raise your hand.
There will be a 2-3 minute timer for every person depending the size of attendees. However, in this group, I do allow a brief back and fourth interjection from others if it's something that's related to the person who was just speaking. This is a way to prevent the group from feeling too "robotic" in style and get your pressing question asked to the speaker and get the answer right away without waiting all the way back to your turn again.
Be authentic & civil!
Please refrain from using Ad Hominem (personal) attacks. This includes in voice, in meeting chat, and in the comments section below. Instead, please attack the points from others. Severe Ad Hominem such as racist behavior will result in being removed from the meeting.
Zoom link is posted well before the day of the meeting but you will not be able to join until 10 minutes before the meeting start time.
