Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog, today I want to talk about sway. Specifically who we let sway is and how we let them do it.
As is often the case, taxonomy is important, and for our discussion sway will mean control or influence, specifically over ones opinions or actions.
We live in a time where sway, can literally be an occupation. There are many people who make a very good living as “influencers”, and have tremendous sway over those that follow them. However, I’m of the opinion that most of the actions and opinions that would be swayed by career influencers are comparatively trivial. What brand of underwear you buy, what beer you drink, maybe a diet or exercise trend, hardly qualify as defining principles of a person.
We allow ourselves to be swayed by advertisers, influencers, and our peers on matters of little significance sometimes multiple times a day. However, when it comes to our more deeply held beliefs and ideas there is a tendency to hold out even in the face of facts and logic.
One of the core principles at my company reads, “Change your mind when persuaded by meritorious argument.” Company politics and labor/management relations aside, this is an ideal that is as lofty as it is essential.
Cancel culture has set us on a path whereby if you currently hold, or ever held, an opinion that is now deemed to be (insert negative “-ist” adjective), than you are ostracized, shunned, and in many cases have career opportunities revoked.
I should quote Ferris Bueller here to illustrate my personal views on the matter, “Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism’s in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, ‘I don’t believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.’ “.
Personal beliefs on -ism’s aside, I believe in due process, benefit of the doubt, and if need be a path to redemption. The best way to improve flaws in our culture isn’t to ostracize the -ism’s, but rather to sway with meritorious argument.
That is a two way street. It means the one doing the swaying must present a meritorious argument, and do so in a way that is instructive and compassionate, rather than insulting and combative. It also means the one to be swayed must be willing to examine their beliefs and opinions honestly, and be willing to change their mind.
The best example of this is Daryl Davis, a musician, author, and a man who has converted hundreds of KKK and neo nazi menders through meritorious argument and compassion.
There will always be those who look to spread hate, but I believe they are in the minority. Proper use of sway, compassion and giving someone the grace to be wrong and to change their ways, leads us all closer to serenity.
Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.
This week in SerenityThroughSweat, I drop the hammer one too many times on my first bike ride since Speedy’s arrival, a 90° afternoon 10k, we celebrate father’s day early as I prepare to go back to work this weekend, which also means the end of quarantine beard.
