A tiny thought. I was in the garden, trimming the grass, when I had a bit of a revelation. Now, you may say that it's a bit late in life to have relevations, but hey, you live and learn! When I was thinking through some big arguments, I realized, more than I had done before, that an important part of making peace is to understand the truth according to others, whether you agree with it or not. I feel a bit silly for not realizing this better before. It's always good to be true and open, but in addition I guess it also helps to to try harder to appreciate what others worry about, what they believe, and what they care about. Then, even if we are still confident of what we know to be true, we can at least understand better. I am going to try to modify my behaviour and take more interest in others' perspectives. As I say, you live and learn!
Perspective-taking is an important tool in learning cultures too:
http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/teaching/TC104-607.html
