I can't take credit for this, as it was inspired by something Bret Weinstein said in this DarkHorse Podcast (approximately 65 minutes in). But it's different enough that I can't make it a direct quotation.
It struck me this morning as both wise and widely applicable. As I've repeatedly said, we each have our part to do, and the results aren't up to us. But we can't know how close someone is to making a life-changing decision, and it would be good at the end of all things to discover that our own actions and attitudes have nudged people in a good direction, instead of hindering their progress.
It's good to call for patience and compassion! Maybe we'll find out that they weren't even deluded, but working from different information or weighting the same information differently.
But if they are mistaken and wake up to it (would that make them woke? ;-) ), let's hope we have a joint history of the kind that would make them feel safe to change their mind. Let us work to be a gentle landing place when they fall from their misconceptions.
Most importantly, however, let us hold our truths humbly and remember that the others might be right. We might be mistaken. In other words: Be patient with the people you think are deluded — you don't know how close you are to waking up.
