acknowledge that everyone is different; perhaps far more different than you had previously considered.
I suppose that is what's going on here. I do try to recognize the differences in everyone, but I do often times feel so convinced of something that I can't see how anyone else could possibly think any differently. With time I suppose that'll change.
Yeah I struggle with the same thing. But at the end of the day, I generally find my relationships much more rewarded by me taking a person at his or her word. A person's ideals are informed by their experiences and by being overly-critical of their views I'm actually calling in to question their experiences which is really bad. It's a fine line to walk sometimes, especially with true friends you care about. So yeah, once I feel like the healthy amount of debate has run its course, I'm left with the decision to think that either they're mentally deficient, or just trust their experiences.
A person's ideals are informed by their experiences and by being overly-critical of their views I'm actually calling in to question their experiences
That puts very well what has been going on with one my roommates and myself lately. I can definitely be over critical of his views (mainly because it feels as if our fundamental views are stark opposites). I hadn't realized though that he could be offended by this and view it as discrediting his experiences. Thanks for shedding light on the situation.