Why You Don’t Have to Change Their Mind

And why you never will.

One of my closest friends and I often have friendly debates over controversial topics. We have a blast challenging each other to think and consider alternative perspectives to ideas that we’re most passionate about.

Recently, we were discussing how in some areas, nothing we could ever say would change the other person’s mind. When I thought about this later, I realized that it wasn’t because either of us made weak arguments. It wasn’t because of pride, or lack of listening to each other.

It was simply because we assigned a different value to the same issue.

You can’t argue with the level of value someone places on a particular aspect of their life.

Some people prioritize their careers. Others prioritize relationships. Some people prioritize family life. Others prioritize spontaneity and not being tied down. Some people prioritize their faith and spirituality, while others prioritize tangible experiences. Some people prioritize long-term goals, while others prioritize the here and now.

This is not to argue which perspective is inherently better than the other — but it’s to acknowledge that if two people approach the same topic with different…