Wasn't Gandhi annoying? Always telling everyone to listen to each other and solve problems through an open channel of communication and compromise...what was that about? Everyone knows it's easier and more efficient to attack people (physically and verbally) to get them to see things your way.

Over the past year or so, I've become increasingly aware that dialogue is quickly dying, and growing in its place is a form of debate that threatens the survival or existence of compromise. People are so prepared to defend their position that they don't wholly listen to the other side. In fact, often as soon as we read or hear the first word of an argument we know we disagree with, our open-minds quickly close. We get angry. Anger isn't necessarily a bad thing, but we need to be sure to listen to and understand
our opposition's stance, or we will never fully understand and develop
our own.

The examples are everywhere. Protests and rallies are a great way to get together for a cause, but oftentimes, they're disregarded before they even take place and no new people are exposed to different ideas.

Last week, fliers were placed around campus promoting "Conservative Coming Out Day," a play on the national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) event National Coming Out Day (NCOD). There was a lot of upheaval over the NCOD rally taking place on Penn State's campus. One argument often held against liberal groups is that they support free speech only when it promotes their own causes. In light of these posters and the event to take place this week, there have been no complaints of its legitimacy or allowance to take place by liberal groups. They may disagree with what they're saying, but they still support their right to say it. The general misconceptions held by all participants of the groups, however, will not be cleared up. The claims that liberal groups support free speech only for their own causes will inevitably continue.

Political debates have become increasingly about slamming the other candidate for everything from things they did 35 years ago to their poor choice of words. Remember the 2000 presidential election? I recall the commotion over Bush's drug use decades ago more than I remember watching the debates; taxes and education can wait -- Bush inhaled!

In classes, too, debates frequently become more of a competition than a conversation. Conservatives feel that they're on a predominantly liberal campus, and liberals feel they're the minority in State College. Whatever race, sex, religious affiliation or political group you belong to, you need to be open to and considerate of each other.

When it comes down to it, the conservative vs. liberal debate that fills the opinion pages every week boils down to perspective.

My perspective on the world is bound to be extremely different than my brother's, despite the fact that I was raised in the same house by the same parents and am only a few years apart in age. We all see things differently, and there is no more absolute truth in one person's argument than another's. Accept that. Be willing to listen and gain more knowledge and understanding of issues you care so much about by attempting to better understand what it is you're so adamantly against.

Firing rounds of rhetoric and statistics and statements and evidence at each other is not going to make either side more right or closer to agreement, only discussion will do that. We need to understand that each person we meet has a different story and a different reason for believing what they believe, resulting in a different perspective. It helps to understand why people believe what they do. All of these individuals bring something valuable to the table, and it isn't something we should discard so easily. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, as long as they allow others their own; and the more that you understand others opinions, the more clearly you'll grasp your own.

Stressing the importance of listening to each other does not mean giving up your causes. Everyone should stand up for what they believe in and press changes where they feel change is needed.

It's your right to believe what you wish, as long as you keep in mind that there is always more to learn, and always another half to the story.