Apologies if this is overkill, but this connects to soooo many ideas and resources for me. I used to push much more than I pulled, but the skeptic community (and former life with the Bearded Skeptic) changed everything. I was exposed to the Backfire Effect and countless examples of how assumed education and persuasion (via pushing) leads to deeper digging of the heels. It took a lot of work for me to start with trust and empathy instead of facts and rationality, but I’ve come to believe it’s the key to educating.

While it’s true that part of this dilemma comes down to timing and acceptance, I also think there are very practical techniques (here’s my flavor of the week). If we can show others how to discover the value of change and perspective on their own, we’re less likely to have to push or pull at all. The pull becomes intrinsic and comes from everyone and everything around us.

p.s. Radiohead/musical preference is a perfect example of the hypocrisy we’ve all confronted. It’s also just a part of getting older and slowly becoming our parents ;)

Thanks for unknowingly connecting some dots!