I’m going to get straight to the point… Cordial discussion is dead in our society. There are examples all around us, mostly in our daily lives with people we speak with on a regular basis. It is hard to discuss anything that includes someone’s opinion without it igniting discord, the opposite of cordiality.

Cordial is a term used to mean a relationship that’s friendly and sincere but not overly close. I’m reminded of the now famous statement by Rodney King in 1992, “Can’t we all just get along?” The point being, you don’t have to be friends or share the same opinion in order to “get along“.

Try discussing conservatism with someone who hates conservatives… The result is not cordial. I thought I could ask a guy who admittedly hates conservatism to comment on my blog. His other posts on his blog seemed thought out and rational, so I expected him to give me the same treatment. I complimented one of his blog posts about conservatism, and asked him to comment on my blog. Sadly, he chose to reply with attacks, cussing and name calling. Look at his response here.

The problem, as I see it, is two-fold…

1. People get overly anxious and defensive when their deeply held beliefs are challenged or denied completely, and…
2. People become too invested in their choices even when they see evidence that their choices are not the right ones.

As evidence of both of these problems, you need look no further than the differences between Democrats and Republicans today. Cordial discussions between the two parties have devolved greatly over the last 30 years. Look no further than Nancy Pelosi tearing up Trump’s State of the Union speech…

Even within the Republican party alone, one sees evidence of people who are stuck in their choices (Trumpists) who cannot see anything other than Trump as their savior. Discussions have become very heated over whether to separate from Trumpism or not. We see that now with the election of the Speaker of the House.

As conservatives, and as people, the responsibility to be civil begins with our being cordial to one another… Cooperation is key to having any successful civilization. Civility is a root word for a reason…

What do you think? Are you able to have cordial conversations with people who strongly disagree? Let me know in the reply section below…