My problem with “I respect your beliefs”
Often, when a touchy subject such as politics, religion, human rights, or anything else comes up in a conversation between two people with opposite opinions comes up, they will decline to discuss to the matter. They’ll say something like, “well, I respect your beliefs and you have your right to your own opinion,” then drop the subject. I think this is the wrong way to deal with things and will prevent any change from ever happening.
When two people disagree on a subject, they should be encouraged to discuss it! Assuming both parties have a lot to say about the topic, they could both learn a lot from a debate. Having a debate of such kind does not mean that the two people disrespect each other’s opinions. It simply means they don’t share them, and want to educate and be educated. It is easily possible for even the best of friends to get along while advocating opposite beliefs; in fact, I often find myself having more respect for someone after having a debate with them. Complete understanding of what someone else believes and why they believe that can both increase your respect for them and inform your own beliefs.
If you can agree to be civilized, respectful, honest, and open-minded, these friendly debates can be quite amazing. But they’ll never happen if you end them before they’ve started.
