Your View, My View: a Survival Guide

I mentioned that I'm a Christian in my little intro. Just want to preface this by saying I don't speak for Christians, I wouldn't call myself a model Christian (then again, by definition a Christian should be someone who realizes they're flawed, but I'm getting off on a tangent there), and etc. all that legal stuff that gets me off the hook should I say something stupid.

Anyways, the main thing to note is 1) there are other Christians on campus and 2) there are people who are NOT Christian.

The first point in pretty obvious, as should the second.

The key is understanding what this means.

You'll recall in a previous post I talked about how small and tight knit the Mudd community can be. Everyone more or less can know everyone, or at the very least have heard about them or passed them on their way to class. I also talked about how you can't hide.

So, people have different views on life. For example, I'm not a fan of alcohol, whether it be underage or legal. If I was a jerk, this could lead to me shunning those who do drink, me ranting loudly about how alcohol is a social evil, and basically be a jackass. After all, there are those who do think alcohol is OK. Heck, there are those who think getting yourself drunk is a good stress reliever, albeit can cause hangovers. Never got why they still like it, even those who regularly get hangovers, but then again I don't drink.

So, I recognize others are different than me. Now, once you make this realization (if you haven't already) you need to choose what you do about this.

Mudd is a very small community, so being a jerk is not a good idea. In fact, it's a very good idea if you want to get shunned by everyone. Instead, usually people either agree to disagree or you accept the person and shun the crime (or habit, or sin, or whatever). So, bottom line, don't be a jerk. I guess this applies to lots of other things as well, but here it applies very rigorously.

Now that we've established what not to do, i.e. go around acting superior, let's look at some more reasonable courses of action.

I would personally recommend being a good friend. This entails accepting people of different views. I'm using the word accepting in a manner that does not force you to embrace or promote their views, just accept the person. After all, even with different views on certain topics, there's plenty of other topics that you should be able to find common ground. Like how expensive war can be. So, be a good friend, and make your view a positive influence in yourself and others. No body likes a jerk, but sometimes if people see something they like about you, they just might change over to your perspective. Plus, it's always good to have friends you can mess around with. Now, this doesn't mean you have to be the most outgoing get all the attention person, just be considerate and even being available to talk to can make a big difference.

Of course, with differing views inevitably comes discussion. Since there are many very intellectual people here, we often get into discussions about our different views. And this isn't random tossing around ideas, often people cite studies, personal experience, philosophical rants, etc. And it's not just about drinking, but also on the Problem of Evil, where a particular phrase came from, and of course politics and religion. So, if you have a certain view, there is a chance it will come into question. The key is that people here tend to argue on a very logical system. Leave a hole, and people will tend to find it. So, feel free to believe whatever you want, but the moment you step into a discussion, you'd better be prepared to defend yourself.

This, unfortunately, can lead to a problem. Since it's a small community, it can actually become a very strong priority to be accepted by others. This might mean hiding or burying your personal views in fear of them being picked apart by the heavyweight argument lawyers. Also, your view might be perfectly valid, but if you don't support your view, it can be extremely disheartening.

Trust me, I know. I've taken the minority side on a couple of issues. This tends to lead to me arguing against several others, each with their own wit and skill. On some topics we find mutual ground and agree to disagree, others seem to be extremely one-sided, and while losing an argument doesn't seem that big, it can be. Now only am I disheartened about what I used to believe was right (or maybe even still believe) but it sometimes feels like I've lost credibility. There goes that moron who took the losing side. I mean, it was obvious since we have twenty different statistics and studies to back up our side, and he tried to pull some random babble and maybe a rumor or two.

This is perhaps a very negative aspect of the small community. People feeling the need to hide their views because of fear they won't be accepted. However, as much as I personally feel defeated, I still have great relationships even with those I argue quite a bit. You see, the Mudd community is usually pretty good about accepting people, as crazy as we all might be. Sure there's been a few bruises, but overall I'd say the discussions have been positive. If anything, they've helped clarify my ideas, and actually fix some really bad old presumptions I'd had. Also, I've let other people know what I think, and maybe some people have even converted to some of my ideas. At the very least I've shown those with similar views that they're not alone. And finally, it can be a battleground where you can gain respect as someone who's thoroughly thought over their opinions and can acknowledge other people's views without putting them down.

So, what's the point in all of this. First, remember that there are those who see life differently than you. Second, I'd recommend not being a jerk about your beliefs. In fact, be as awesome and fun to be with person as possible. And lastly, be prepared to defend your ideas, because inevitably someone will question them.

And that's my little survival guide on how to deal with differing views at Mudd. Feel free to flame now.