The Baha'i Faith

[zanOTK]

And why is that? If you do not remain polite, and calm, then you have most likely allowed your passions to dominate your reasoning abilities. In my opinion, in any discussion of important matters it is reason, not passion, that is most important.

Because people aren't robots, they speak and act with passion when it comes to things they care about. Passion and reason are not mutually exclusive, you can calm and soft spoken or loud, brash and assertive, but as long as the logic of the arguments is well-presented, it's the same argument. I'm sure you've gotten upset or angry over a point of discussion or disagreement at some time in your life, and may have used strong words to express your opinion that didn't fall into the sanitized categories of 'calm and polite'. That wouldn't and doesn't invalidate someone's point just because they make it strongly or pssionately.

It does, however, make it a lot less likely the other party will listen. I have allowed my passion to sway me in the past, and regret it dearly. When one becomes impassioned in an argument, especially when they begin using impolite wording, I am less likely to listen to what they have to say, and my respect for them drops greatly. Not everyone reacts this way. But it is rare, very rare, that someone will react that way if you remain totally polite. And that is why I attempt to remain polite and without passion in my discussions with those that disagree with me. Now, if I am talking to someone who agrees with me I will often become quite passionate. But it is a different sort of passion, that doesn't risk my being impolite to those around me.