good question

That's a good question 

My friend Jim asked

What he could possibly say

To change someone's mind

But I don’t actually know

How to turn someone around

Just that emotion prevails

Over reason and logic

Jim has so many questions

It can be a bit much at times

But if you let him go there

He will persist seeking answers

So I turned the question around

To hear what he would say

What it would take to decide

Something he believes isn’t true

Without going into details

About the specific example

He answered his own question

What determines his views

We learn from our sources

First from personal experience

Next from what our people say

Then from the media we choose

So if you are trying persuasion

Respect their learned life lessons

Share observations from your own life

To explain your different conclusions

The rest is argument butting heads

Reminding me of the expression

My mind is made up

Don’t confuse me with the facts

 

Ringwood Manor November 10, 2020

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Freylinghausen November 9, 2020

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happy day

People were especially happy today 

At least the ones I saw where we went

Out for a walk in the November sun

To look at the late fall color by the reservoir

The way they said "Good morning"

Greeting everyone with a smile

It was more than delight in the warm air

The day after the election was called 

Despite voter suppression and demagoguery 

That despicable bully is on the way out

And while we would be glad to see him behind bars

Still it's a relief to see his backside get removed 

The threat of a coup now revealed as empty bluster

In the face of our preparations for mass resistance 

This electoral defeat of racism and reaction 

May prove to be a tipping point in the struggle 

Hearing the fellow walkers I encountered this morning

I would like to think included some with progressive views

Who like me belong to a certain minority in this country

Whites who seek to be allies with the oppressed

Even though a large majority of whites support Trump

A significant number of us reject white supremacy 

And all the other attacks on human rights that go with it

Targeting women and LGBTQ and people of color 

The more white people realize what many youth already know 

That this is the way towards liberation for all of us

The closer we get to overturning the ruling power structure 

And the long awaited day for the most exuberant celebration