"When someone opposes me, he arouses my attention, not my anger. I go to meet a man who contradicts me, who instructs me. The cause of truth should be the common cause for both.” - Montaigne

 "When someone opposes me, he arouses my attention, not my anger. I go to meet a man who contradicts me, who instructs me. The cause of truth should be the common cause for both.” - Montaigne (1533-1592). “Of the Art of Discussion,” Essays, 1588, tr. Donald M. Frame, 1958

How are we to view those who disagree with us? Shall we think of them as enemies and fools, who must be struck down and controlled, lest they do damage and evil in their misconceptions? Might we treat them as teachers and friends, who only mean to do good in the world, to help us along the way by tough instruction, and who yearn, like us, for the truth of the thing? This is a conundrum we often face, the issue of whether we should treat this particular enemy with grace, raise him up and treat him gently, or if we would treat him like a devil in human form, burning and destroying him before he corrupts all that he touches? Deciding between these two options is no easy task - as babies in arms we tend towards the view that all is there for us to learn from, but soon enough we change our minds, learning the power of 'no', 'I don't believe you', and 'you're wrong'. As we grow, we change sides again, being taught that humankind, for the most part, means us well. Soon, though, we find out that people lie, and we suffer, we all suffer, through betrayals. We hate and mistrust the world, then, yet again, change our minds and realize that even though some people are pure evil and selfishness, that others exist who are worthy of paying attention to. On and on this dance go's, flowing one way and then the other, between the two poles of trust and mistrust. 

What this quote suggests is that one of those poles, the pole of trust, is stronger than the other, of mistrust. It is stronger because it is only through some sort of trust in our enemy, some sort of realization that the opposite view to what we hold also contains some truth, that we are able to truly learn and grow. When our days are filled, morning to night, with nothing but lies and trickery, with inconsistent rules, broken promises, and doublespeak, then what we learn is always negative. What we learn is that men and women cannot be trusted. We learn a valuable lesson, but if that lesson is all the lesson that we ever learn, then there is, eventually, no trust in anything ever - And trust is the foundation of reality. If we mistrust everything in a strong enough way, and for long enough, then we are, eventually, left with nothing. There appears to be no true morals, no true statements, no true anything, except the ever-repeated mantra and we cannot trust. That our opponents, that anyone who disagrees with us in any way, are always totally and completely wrong either because of ignorance or malice. This is a sorry state, and what's more, is a state with no way out. 

On the other hand, let us trust, and trust can overcome trust. To understand that someone can lie or be mistaken, in a positive way, is to realize that they can also tell the truth. It is to realize that we, also, can be mistaken. Through trust, and treating our enemy like we treat ourselves - that is, dumb yet earnest and honest - we can accept their flaws and our won, and move forward together. If an untruth arises through ignorance or malice, then the truth will still out eventually, though inconsistencies and paradoxes that inevitably arise out of lies and half-truths. By believing and treating your opponent as a human being in the world, you force him to act within the world as we know it. You force him to work with you. This is a happy vision which this quote represents, the hand on the scale, the imbalance that allows us to walk forward. 

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