Arguing with 'Wrong' Passions

Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still. ~ Dale Carnegie

I think what I meant about social and political issues is that it's hard for me to tell other people they are wrong for getting the meaning they get from the things they get meaning from. I do act against some things that others believe adamantly, yet I wouldn't tell those who vote against what I vote for, for example, that they are wrong; even though my position may not win, I couldn’t tell someone they are wrong for wanting meaning and significance, for acting to obtain it. I may disagree with their actions and even want some people policed or put in jail for their harmful actions (for example), but if they truly believed they act meaningfully 'right' by their symbols and framework, wouldn’t tell them they are wrong to try gaining meaning and significance with the symbols and framework they have.

Of course I might argue they should know better than to have such a closed or untenable (in some way) framework, someone should teach them better, or have already taught them better; yet I wonder if these 'shoulds' and 'oughts', dependent as they are upon another different framework being 'right', are an attempt to invalidate (and justify the invalidation of) a person's humanity by taking away what they do have, their symbols, their framework, their life meaning and significance.

I certainly believe in educating those who want education, those who are open to thinking to considering, to dialogue, to dialectic, to the education of their frameworks and themselves; but when they are not open and willing, when they are convinced of their rightness and will consider no alternative to the rightness of their meaning, significance or framework, I think it is wrong (in addition to likely being unfruitful) even to try to convince people of anything different. I believe there may be some things we shouldn't or can't effectively argue about; and though I may vote against them or stop their actions if I can, I rather feel I should treat other's passion as valid to their humanity, as my passions are valid to my humanity.

I don't believe anything should go, but when I think about the larger picture of our common humanity, inevitably someone's passion does win out, someone's human desire wins, the power of meaning and significance wins, (some part of) humanity wins significance – and significance building through passion and experience is, to me, part of the fascinating point, if not possibly the whole point, to being human.