Mutually Agree to Disagree

Agree to disagree. This is a great saying! Nobel Prize winner, Robert Aumann came up with this adage in the 1970s. No one gets beat up; no bridges get burnt; and everyone stays friends.

It is counter intuitive to agree to disagree. It’s not easy to not discuss the issue. People disagree persistently. It’s intuitive to argue your point. You feel like a failure by not resolving the issue. By agreeing to disagree, people will find loopholes or exceptions to continue the argument.

However, when you know you’ll never agree on an issue, “Mutually agree to disagree.” There will be less blood shed, and more harmony in the world. By mutually agreeing to disagree, you show respect for each other. After a period of time, when both of you have had time to think about the issue, you can work out the disagreement. Be prepared though to compromise.

All relationships, whether it’s a friendship or a romance, have problems. More hurt feelings are due to someone saying, “Ahhh, it just wasn’t meant to be.” Giving up and not working through the problem will lead to emotional stagnation.

Many feelings are hurt by people not thinking before they speak. Learning to think before speaking is a skill worth learning. When you say something wrong without thinking, you backpedal and regret what came out of your mouth. By agreeing to disagree, you can stop the emotions, and your relationship will be saved.

The result of Aumann’s adage, “agree to disagree” will make you less opinionated and more open to considering the other person’s beliefs.