You're wrong before I even know what you are going to say!

 

I am sure that you have run across people that it does not matter what you are going to say, but they automatically assume you are wrong. It does not matter how well you have checked your information. To some people, it simply does not matter. There is one quote that this reminds me of, "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." The quote points out the purpose why people, in general, do this. It is not their intent to understand what you are saying. The reasons behind that lack of intention are as varied as the people involved.

Many people have written about this, so I am not going to cover all that they have. In my own experience, it was a lack of respect. That is to say that they had some preconceived notions about me, the topic, their prejudices, assumptions, presumptions, prejudgments, etc. I will add to this mixture a healthy dose of vain and foolish pride.

At this point, nothing that you say will convince them that their preconceived notions are, at best, misguided and, at worst, wrong. At this point, it is cognitive dissonance. We then get to the problem where what you say is challenging their preconceived notions.

When you are talking, they are arguing with you in their head. They may stop at one particular point and then formulate a response. The rest of what you had to say is lost. Those who have respect for themselves and other people will suddenly realize there is no respect coming. It is an example of how people have discovered which people are "real" and  "fake."

Scripture speaks of shepherds who feed only themselves. These actions s come at the expense of their flock. They are usually the ones crying, "peace, peace" when there isn't any found. The wounds go untreated, the lame neglected, and the blind neglected.  

When John the Baptist asked Yeshua if he was the one that they should expect, the response from Yeshua has come to illustrate a powerful lesson. Yeshua instructed them to go back and report what they have seen. The blind receive sight. The lame walk. The deaf hears and the dead raised to life.

There is one church in the book of Revelation that is called the Church of Laodecia. Here Yeshua describes them as wretched, poor, blind, and naked. Yet, for all of their riches, they had become too comfortable. They had become apathetic. They had become lukewarm. Lukewarm people have no intention of actually listening to the problems all around them. They did not want to understand, communicate, or assist other people.

Sincerely,

David A. Kitchens