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Derek Sivers

Articles:

I want to lose every debate.

2023-01-31

My favorite moments in life are when someone shows me a new
perspective -- a way of thinking I had never considered. It's
illuminating.

Ideally it's something I opposed, but they help me understand why it
works for them.

  * The sex worker explains why she loves her job.
  * The Singaporean in the three-piece-suit explains why clothing is
    like the SMTP protocol.
  * The Hindu explains why poverty doesn't upset her.
  * The Muslim explains why Islamic law is a perfect recipe for
    peace.
  * The hedonist justifies her partying, and tells me the most
    heart-warming explanation for her ugly tattoo.

These conversations are the most memorable -- the most life-changing --
because I get a personal introduction to a mindset. Then those people
I thought were wrong, stupid, or crazy suddenly make sense.

Thinking that people are stupid is not thinking. Understanding them
is.

They lend me their shoes and glasses, so I can walk a mile with their
viewpoint and experience it for myself. It helps me see why it works
for them, and how it might work for me.

I never want to debate, but if I had to, I would hope to lose. I
don't want to convince anyone of my existing perspective. I would
rather be convinced of theirs. It's more interesting to assume that
they are right.

(c) 2023 Derek Sivers.

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