Go have a conversation with someone who disagrees with you on a deeply held belief. Observe the feelings that arise within you. Stress, anger, and most perniciously fear. This is your combative reaction. Taken to its extremity this becomes your fight-or-flight response. If pushed beyond its capacity, this reaction can cause neuroanatomical damage often consistent with those who suffer PTSD. Understand that these emotions do not comprise a valid argument. These emotions will distort your view of reality, taking you by the hand and leading you into a place where you will miss out on all that you could be. Unless you practice resisting this reaction, your life will never be what it could have been.
Instead of heeding the temptation of these emotions, pay very close attention to what the other person is saying to you. Listen to their words and try your best to understand what their words mean - not what you need them to mean. You’ll notice the conversation is composed of their argument and your argument. But here’s the secret: if you’ve sufficiently diminished your combative response and heightened your awareness of what’s being said between the both of you - you’ll notice yet a third argument present in the conversation. It’s likely this argument disagrees with both of you to some degree. It is a thread so subtle that you will not see it if you aren’t looking for it.
This third interlocutor is the Spirit of Truth. Following this thread will require you to sacrifice the parts of your beliefs which you know are lies. Contemplating these sacrifices will inspire fear, because you know you constructed the lies to gain a better grip on control. It is at this moment you must decide on faith that the truth will lead you to the best outcome - even if it drags you through the wilderness to get you there. If you observe the Spirit of Truth closely enough you’ll understand that it lives on with or without you - forever unchanging and unimpeachable.
Entire societies fall to the ground when foundations of deception crumble, but the Spirit of Truth remains untouched above the rubble - waiting patiently for you to seek it out again. If you commit your life to walking where this third Person in the conversation leads you, you’ll discover your obedience has redeemed who you are and made you a beacon of light for those around you. Obediently serving the truth will transform you into who you were always meant to be.
If you want to make the world a better place go have a conversation with someone who disagrees with you. When the truth reveals itself between the both of you, have the faith to be the first to follow it wherever it goes. You might be surprised when your opponent comes up alongside you to join you on the journey.
