Preachers and singers

I love discussion. I believe that if two people totally agree, then one of them is unnecessary. This doesn't worry me, because I have never met another person with whom I totally agreed. Not even my beloved spouse is at risk here. Our discussions, in which one of us tries to convince the other, have led to hours of exploration to the extent that just talking with each other is our preferred pastime. Our discussions, sometimes passionate in intensity, are guided by principles of mutual respect for the other person. We are able to separate the speaker from the message, loving the speaker while at the same time, casting that silly idea far into the landfill, to be covered over by appropriate piles of moose nuggets and garbage.

Occasionally, I bump into situations where the distinction between message and messenger is missing. I find this sad and immensely frustrating. Since I value diversity of opinion and firmly believe that nuggets of gold are as likely as nuggets of moose in social intercourse, I'm willing to consider almost any viewpoint. The thought that I would discard a friend or a relative because we hold different opinions really goes against my personal value system. Preaching to the choir seems pointless to me. If preach I must, I want to talk to the people whose values differ from mine. I can't convince them that I see more clearly than they if we don't interact. That they will convince me that they own truth is just one of the risks that make the game worth playing.

Question everything!

-- EA Games