Exposing Yourself to New Things
Where do new ideas come from? One thery is that they come from the conflict between older ideas.
Hegel's famous dialectic went as follows: Thesis meets anti-thesis creating synthesis. Someone puts forward an idea, someone else opposes it and out of the conflict comes a new idea.
I think that we see this in politics. Presiden Bush suggested a plan to reform Social Security. Some people opposed it. They try to knock holes in it. The President and his supporters rebutt. Out of the two ideas will come something new. Even if one side "wins," their position has usually been changed by the very fact of discussion.
I am fortunate to work in an environment where a system of checks and balances has been consciously put in place. Sometimes difficult ("I clearly see that I am right, why won't you agree with me?") the final work is almost always better than the starting point.
If this sounds good to you, bear it in mind when you enter a debate. Like most things in life, there are lots of grey areas. Take what is right from the other persons argument and incorporate it in your own thinking. Make a conscious effort to be open to new ideas. You don't need to accept them 100%. But if you find that they are 20% right, you have increased your own stock of wisdom.
Remember, there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who think that there are only two kinds of people, and those of us that know better.
Wait, that didn't come out right..... Maybe I was only 20% correct..