There are three basic types of information that you can come across when
you are looking into any subject. You can find "facts" which are
fully accepted ideas that have been proven over time.
Personal Experience
In my youth, I was traveling though an area of
Pennsylvania called "Willow Street". Though this area is quite
modernized for the most part, there are outlying areas that still
maintain a very strong presence of both Amish and Menonite.
At the time, I could not understand the ability to live without
"modern" items such as electricity. During my travels,
my car broke down. I was met on the road by a older Amish
farmer who let me stay with him for a few days while my "machine"
was repaired. I gained a very good understanding of the
lifestyle, and even learned to enjoy it.
You can find
"opinions" that are simply a perspective of a person or group of people
thay may or may not be based on fact.
And then, of course, there
is "assumption". This is a much harder classification to deal
with.
This is a piece of information that has been, many
times, accepted as a verified fact, though no information is avialable
to prove the information.
You can come across this in any
time of research and if very popular in legend and lore, paranormal
investigation or historical studies. At Ancient Pathway, we
are very careful to lable things as "fact" only when there is a
believable and verifiable source of information. As you can
see, the lines between these different types of information can easily
blur.
The best practice is to use common sense before arguing in this type of
situation. It is very difficult to change another person to
your way of thinking, especially if they fully believe the "fact" of
what they are saying. Making the assumption that you are right and
they are wrong, simply because you believe differently is a measure of
arrogance.
When I come across a situation like this, as shown in the sidebar here,
I attempt to not only maintain my own value and belief, but also to
experience their point of view. This allows you to grow a
human being. And once in a while, you may find that another way,
that is nothing like your belief, may suit you better.
This technique can work in all facets of life, not just the study of
metaphysics and religion. As you are working though the path
of life, you may find that simply "stepping into the shoes" of your
manager at work may give you and understanding that allows you to see
why they act the way that they do. The same can be said for
family and friends. How many times do you come home from
work, frazzled by a hectic day and not be able to understand why your
partner or spouse is on edge even though they have been doing nothing
all day? You may not see that the "sitter" did not show up, the
car broke down and the plumber had no clue what they were doing when
they came by to clean the drain!