"zealouts" may be a typo, but if so it's an inspired one. True enough, nothing we say changes anything, including the minds of the people we find ourselves arguing with, whichever side of an argument we find ourselves.

What can be said for it is that, on the Mudcat it is possible to carry on arguments about this kind of thing in which we can try to at least understand the views of people with whom we are in disagreement. That can mean sometimes identifying shared values, and that is important. In fact that is the most important thing there is, in some ways.

And we can maybe work out more clearly what it is we believe. And also learn sometimes things that maybe we didn't know before.

Maybe if we only talked about things we could change it would be better. But that applies in all our lives, not just here. It'd be a much more silent world. Which might be good in some ways. But there is that about identifying the shared values that underly the disagreements. That's what the Oslo Peace accords were all about. Or closer to home to where I live, the Good Friday agreement.