My presence will soon be required abroad (more on that later). Until then, I am drinking in the beauty of this southern autumn: the cool weather, the changing colors of the leaves, and the evening nip in the air that reminds me it’s almost time to put a few logs in the fireplace.

Last night Lauri and I hosted three Italian journalists who had come to interview me about the presidential election. They are traveling around the country interviewing public personalities who sit on the political left and right for TG2, Italy's public television network. They had interviewed me in 2020, so I knew one of the journalists and knew what to expect.

Their focus for this interview?

The Second Amendment. They were somewhat fascinated by the fact that I have a number of firearms in my house: a gun rack with shotguns, a gun rack with rifles, a pistol, and a couple of antique guns on display. This is very foreign to most Europeans who are not allowed to own firearms without a special permit. Worse, some have been conditioned to recoil from such things as if they were animated with a will to do them personal harm.

After the interview, we enjoyed a nice dinner on the porch followed by conversation. Over red wine and Prosecco (very Italian), the producer, a woman of perhaps 40 who I’ll call Sofia, decided to challenge my view on the Second Amendment. During the earlier televised interview I had said that gun ownership is essential to any citizenry who wishes to remain free from government tyranny. A view alien to the European mindset, she wanted to push back. I welcomed it. Indeed, I wanted to understand her point of view. For the next hour or so, we debated the issue. Not angrily or emotionally, but thoughtfully and respectfully.

The content of the debate is not really my point here. It is, rather, that having any kind of respectful disagreement is almost unheard of these days. Words like “triggered” have been given new meaning to describe an irrational emotional response to mundane things that unhinged people simply don’t like: Any reference to Jesus or the Bible, hunting, guns, a pro-life bumpersticker, a MAGA hat—you name it. I miss the days of lively discussion with thoughtful people. Such interactions sharpen my thinking and give me insight into how others think. And, well, sometimes they convince me that I am wrong.

In this case, Sofia had been witness to a potentially deadly domestic quarrel involving a pistol. That memory, fresh and upsetting, strongly informed her opinion on the subject. And while it didn’t influence my thinking on the issue, it did help me to understand her thinking. In her mind, only the government should have firearms. In my mind, that is a recipe for violence on a scale far greater than the domestic variety. Governments, after all, have authored the worst massacres in history, and almost always against unarmed populations.

That said, I was grateful for Sofia’s perspective. Remaining in your own echo chamber is never helpful. You need to hear views that differ from your own. You need to be able to listen to them respectfully.

That is, of course, assuming they are respectfully expressed. Do not waste time with fools and trolls. But do try to put yourself in the way of a thoughtful opponent of your views. You will benefit from the stimulation.

This afternoon (Sunday Nov 3rd) I will host a pre-election YouTube Live event at 5 pm CT. I hope you will join us!

Warm regards,

LAT

Why You Should Talk to People You Disagree With