Agreement Is Overrated

Distinguish between those who understand and those who agree.
He who understands the Teaching will not tarry in applying it to life;
He who agrees will nod and extol the Teaching as remarkable wisdom,
but will not apply this wisdom to his life.
There are many who have agreed, but they are like a withered forest,
fruitless and without shade. Only decay awaits them.
Those who understand are few, but like a sponge they absorb the precious knowledge and are ready to cleanse the horrors of the world with the precious liquid.

Buddha

Phx said...

The matter of your post is very much in my mind these days, my brother. My two cents:

I have certain Rules of Engagement for entering into arguments. These are my own, I speak only for myself.

1) That which is true, I will hold to be true.
2) Reason first.
3) Don’t argue with crazy people.
4) Don’t argue with very immature people – either emotionally or intellectually immature.
5) Be careful arguing with people who are very personally or emotionally invested in their argument – it’s often not worth it.
6) Bring good will to the argument.
7) “Agree to disagree” when the argument is no longer productive, i.e. it’s clear you cannot change your opponents’ mind and your opponent has nothing further to offer to change your mind.

To the principle that agreement for the sake of agreement is overrated I say, I agree with that.