Disclaimer/Disclosure
I try to recluse myself from arguments in relation to the war after the atrocities of Oct 7th 2023 since I realised that some of the most valued members of the BBS are uncompromising and posting sources and own content I strongly disagree with and would challenge under other circumstances. Right now, I could only walk away from the BBS if I did. Which I do not want. This is one of the few cases where discussion on the BBS is made impossible. This topic by Yoy Luadha changes that. (Thank you for that, Yoy.)
I agree, and at the same time disagree.
I think isn’t exactly a matter of decisions, of what we want. Rather, I think that it is an ability. A concept which springs to mind is ambiguity tolerance.
I think values we share or do not share are very important in this. We may not be able to consciously compromise on core values without endangering our personality, and our self-perception - and even less so in social interaction. But we do, in many circumstances, live with ambiguities. We hold more than one mutually exclusive concepts true in our minds all of the time. Still, we cannot compromise on any of these without being compromised deeply.
Paradoxical situations are fun when discussed in Randall’s What if series. They are interesting when discussed in an academic seminar. But they are also a truly existential imposition.
The author wrote in another piece: “there is not necessarily a right, one-size-fits-all answer, but a spectrum on which thoughtful people can disagree”. Disagreement on how core values are lived and made into politics and policies, however, is really, really hard to bear.
