CONTRARY OPINIONS

I know very little of Bertrand Russell beyond his reputation as a great thinker and no friend of religion. 

But recently I came across a quote from Russell which struck me as not only insightful, but incredibly practical. 

"If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do. If some one maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction."

Russell's truth ought to be broadcast from the rooftops throughout election season and beyond. 

And we ought to pause for self-examination whenever another's opinion - or behavior - spurs us toward anger rather than pity.