Good teachers urged us to “Speak your mind! Speak up!” Giving your voice life by speaking with friendly passion lets others know you are serious and that you want to be authentic.
Dispassion is equally important. The ability to think clearly and make good decisions because you choose not to be influenced by negative emotional outburst is praiseworthy. Being clear-sighted, or passionately dispassionate, does not mean you give up feeling deeply, empathetically, or compassionately.
Angry emotionality is a different thing. Being etiquette-ful requires us to step aside from such negativity.
A democratic civil society requires us to allow differing views. Not everyone has the same opinions or comes forward with the same perspective. In these times of virus-imposed social isolation we might even occasionally profess that we “haven’t been ourselves lately,” getting carried away with emotional tension.
No doubt, there are a lot of social tensions with many causes. And sometimes we meet up with others who are looking for a little disagreement, if only to let off their own steam or to find somebody to “talk at,” if not “talk with.”
Practice clearly articulating your own opinion in your mind. Toning down not only sets a tone of respect, it reduces the risk of not fully expressing your point or creating misunderstanding. Nowhere is it required that we share our views, and all views can be stated with civility.
It is never appropriate for emotional outbursts — anger, hatred, disgust, fear, indignation — to affect decision-making. Feelings are tempered with thinking and knowing how to act respectfully. Emotional accusations have no place when exercising etiquette-fulness. Practicing impartiality and articulating reason when making a case is the etiquette-ful way to go.
There are a few methods for remaining passionately dispassionate during conversation. You can deflect the subject at hand, initiate a pause to gather your thoughts, or state the obvious in a kind way to bridge understanding.
Using these three methods in various situations may look like this:
Deflection
Taking a Pause
Stating the Obvious with Kindness
The words we say and the tone in which we say them can have a profound effect on other people, particularly those in our household. A news report on television, an unexpected event, or a tense interaction can cause you to blurt out angry confirmations. My guess is that if a dispassionate pause were applied, others would be grateful.
Respectful discourse is always called for. And even if you haven’t perfected it yet, you can state what you want to be: “I am passionately dispassionate!” Not only are you affirming your commitment to communicate kindly and respectfully, but you intend to receive the gift of being heard because you express your thoughts and opinions clearly and concisely.