In a Facebook thread, a friend said (paraphrasing)

I seem to be finding few people willing to actually engage in inquiry. They mostly want to be right and make others wrong. They are stuck to a single point of view and just want to prove their point.

I responded:

Perhaps they’re just not willing to engage in YOUR inquiries. Lots of us are busy. Many of us have inquired into some of these things at great length and moved on. When you ask a question, they hear an issue they already have made a decision on.

For instance, I have a great way to transform democracy. Few people can hear a new possibility when I give the 1-minute intro. I could conclude most people are too narrow minded or stupid. (That would be akin to your saying they just want to prove a point or are stuck to a single point of view.) But there are many other explanations, and making them wrong doesn’t serve me. Or you.

About 80% of these people will talk with me more about it. After ten to thirty minutes, they hear a new possibility and are eager to try it out. 

But few people get it from anything written. A few people get a bit of possibility from the current How it Works page. It went through many iterations before it was even a little effective. You shouldn’t be surprised that your written comments are misinterpreted. Even excellent writers are not nearly as expressive as a speaker.

It’s always a mistake to generalize a reason why people do or don’t do things. It’s almost always a mistake to think I understand why a single person does or doesn’t do something. If the reason makes them wrong, that’s a good signal that it’s particularly bogus and it’s time for me to realize I’m being presumptuous.

CM: Hmm, thanks Rand. That sounds like a great example! Do you have a video explaining your transformation of democracy?

Not yet. We’re working on an animation. Some people do videos well. I’ve tried, and they haven’t been worthwhile. I certainly agree, a video is a good way to communicate a new possibility.

I will continue this in the next post.