I've been punched in the mouth a couple of times, mostly for good reason. Usually I was telling someone something they didn't want to hear. A radio commentary occasionally doesn't jive with your philosophies either -- but most people don't put their fist through the dashboard. They simply change the station. Since it is hard to change human opinion, here are 10 ways I've learned to avoid a fat lip.
One: Shut up. How can you hear, absorb and understand if you won't listen? I had to learn this the hard way.
Two: Shock your ears. A musician friend had to learn music she didn't care for. While she never fell in love with it, she admitted it did -- like opposing opinions -- open her ears.
Three: Don't be a sheep. A speaker who talks about idiots and imbeciles is using emotion to collect followers. Chances are he's ignoring facts to obscure the truth.
Four: Keep the baby. Listen for aspects of an argument that do make sense. In other words, don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Search for nuggets of truth.