johncomic | an element of truth

I recently had a difference of opinion with someone, from which I came away rather miffed, and part of what I ended up muttering inside my head was like “Man, they are so dismissive of any viewpoint different from their own! I hate that!”

And I suddenly remembered something I've read in more than one new-age-y place: the things we hate in other people are actually being mirrored back at us from within, they are things about us that we don't want to face.

So I actually stopped and gave this some serious thought: am I dismissive of other people's viewpoints if they're different from mine? And I quickly realized: yeah, sometimes.

I mean yeah, there are many differences of opinion that I can “magnanimously” let slide [e.g., differing musical tastes] and these are the things that “confirm” my self-opinion of how “open-minded” I am... but sometimes I honestly don't give serious consideration to someone else's perspective about something because I already “know I'm right”.

I don't like this about myself. This will require some sitting with...