What do you do in those moments when your thoughts seem shipwrecked on the shore of someone's lack of reason?

Question

What do you do in those moments when your thoughts seem shipwrecked on the shore of someone's lack of reason?

Answer 1

try rephrasing your thoughts - communication is a two way street, and in that moment where you can't express yourself in a satisfying way, try a different approach.  

Answer 2

Go to my happy place.

Answer 3

Try to find a reason to his lack of reason.

Answer 4

I adjust my tactics.

When reading the Platonic Dialogues, it is important to remember not only what Socrates says, but also who he is speaking to.  Sometimes his audience is extremely bright and ambitious young men, such as Glaucon and Adeimantus in "The Republic".  Other times, Socrates is speaking to rather dim-witted individuals, such as Crito in "Crito".  Socrates always uses the Socratic Method, but the method adapts to the audience.  When speaking to very intelligent people, Socrates employs more complex syllogisms and dichotomies, and when he speaks to less intelligent people, Socrates makes a greater use of simple analogies and metaphors.  I try to do the same.

Socrates is, of course, much better at it than I am, but I find this helps me speak to a much wider audience than I otherwise would be limited to.

Answer 5

I'll tell you there is not much you can do at that point.

Answer 6

Dear Phoenix,

                     I would return to the Everlasting, Truthful,Enjoyable Now!

As Now, releases Oneself of all inhibitions of Love and Hate,  of Truth and Lie,  of Positive and Negative,  of Giving and Taking,  of Up and Down,  of Right and Left,  of Mine and His and Yes and No.

Answer 7

Probably you try to be more elaborate so that the point is driven home.

Alternatively,you could consider relaxing the listener and try it again using simple language.For you need to seek to understand first before you can be understood.

Thanks for asking  

Answer 8

Roll my eyes and m********e.

-bf jb nm

Answer 9

FInd someone else to go to the beach with?

Well I try to remember that a person's "reason" generally comes from their experience.  Reason is seldom a completely rational process.

Unless you are talking to Mr. Spock.

Answer 10

i shut them down

Answer 11

Grit my teeth, and keep my hands from tearing out my hair or strangling the other person.  Pull out the easel, whiteboard, markers, charts, and graphs.  Use as many little, non-scary words as possible.

If all else fails, remove myself from the person for a few minutes, if I can.  Give myself time to de-stress, and come up with a new strategy/form of explanation.

Answer 12

if they are interested, i would try harder. if not, i would give up.

Answer 13

You can try to beat a dead horse if you want, but I prefer to realize that sometimes when people don't want to listen to what you're saying it doesn't make any sense to try harder to convince them. Sometimes you just have to walk away from that shipwreck and find another boat to set sail in.

Answer 14

I find someone else who I know will fully understand.  Empaths understand without a doubt.  We are extremely deep with empathetic understanding and do not lack reasoning.  We want Peace, not pain.  

I go to this shore daily where many cannot "hear" my thoughts.  Every now and then I have the wonderful opportunity to meet another empath who will be able to understand my thoughts as well as I understand theirs.

It is exciting when you know you both understand each other and can finish each other's sentences.  My middle son is this way.

If I have no one to talk to, I just start talking to God who I am a part of.

Yahoo Answers is a great place to go, but you just don't have the eye contact you need.

Peace.  

Answer 15

Try to repair the boat, which is my thoughts, and move to less choppy intellectual waters.  

Answer 16

It would be necessary to find a simpler way of teaching or explaining my thoughts.  Perhaps a parable, of sorts, to help with the understanding, followed by a hefty bonfire of realization and awareness, then topped off with the rescue ship of "dawning" light to save us both from desertion.