There is an old Aesop Fable about the Wind and the Sun engaged in a dispute as to which was the most powerful. Suddenly they saw a traveler walking down the road and the Sun said, “I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause the traveler to take off his cloak, shall be declared the most powerful. You begin.” The Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveler. The harder he blew the more closely the traveler wrapped his cloak around himself, till at long last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all its glory upon the traveler, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on and took it off. The classic moral of the story is persuasion is better than force. Using persuasion, rather than force to influence your opposition in their decision-making takes a different kind of disputation. The ancient Greek view was to appeal to ethics or credibility, emotions and logic known as Ethos, Pathos and Logos. The use of this technique takes applying the source of one’s wealth, the mind, rather than the brute force of the body and practice its use. The classic Sophist used rhetoric or the art of persuasion to inform, influence, and motivate their audiences’ beliefs and behaviors. Today, propaganda is used to indoctrinate people with the news, and social and mass media towards a particular agenda bordering on coercion. Public policy developed by interested parties aggressively threatens us by use of fear or to shame a person’s behavior. Pundits, politicians, and provocateurs are exceedingly expert at blowing these winds of discontent. My preference is using the disinfecting rays of a cogent argument to illuminate a problem, and to use pinpoint persuasion to find a suitable answer. Consider any contested topic such as illegal immigration or concerns about the climate. As Aristotle explains, there are four reasons for perfecting and using persuasion. To get at truth and justice. To teach others as a tool. To be able to argue both sides and understand the whole problem. And to defend oneself and their position in a dialog. The alternative is the use of force which is the failure of persuasion and threatens an individual’s sovereignty. A young man was walking down a street and happened to hear a dog give a painful YELP! and soon came upon an old man sitting in a rocking chair on his porch. On the porch floor next to his chair was an old dog whose tail would get caught under the rail of the rocking chair every time the old man moved back and forth. Just then the old dog let out another painful YELP! The young man asked, “What’s wrong with your dog.” The old man said, “Every time I roll back, the dog’s tail gets run over.” The young man continued, “Why doesn’t the dog get up?” The old man replied, “I guess it doesn’t hurt bad enough.” Most people lament about how bad things are, yet they have no interest in finding a solution. They just prefer to complain. It’s time they quit whining and improve their ability to persuade by learning the skills available to make better arguments. Learning to use rhetoric in a positive way and to confront the fierce winds that seem unending is a skill worth pursuing. With determination and persistence, you can start to get proficient at any task. The first one to convince is yourself. When my daughter was young, I would read to her before she went to sleep. One of her favorite books was, “The Little Engine That Could.” Remember the refrain the Little Train would say repeatedly; “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” This is not just a book for children, but as my business mentor Jeffrey Gitomer states, “It’s a philosophy for life.” Our ability to persuade and to tell better stories that make a point is the best alternative to what has happened throughout recorded history by force, and that outcome never ends well for most. It is never moral to use force unless you are physically attacked and are using it to defend yourself from harm or injury. The forceful use of a clear and compelling story that demonstrates a point is the most powerful tool we have. Consider joining a Toastmasters Club to practice your persuasion skills. www.toastmasters.org https://kimmonson.com/featured_articles/practice-persuasion-against-pundits-politicians-and-provocateurs/?vgo_ee=pL4O5Lr/VgzQQtQBNjWGT5pdqx+A93nPtHfFKMS7AZnbtl+I6UNSf2/T:EXJ2UYqSY+KkyDTa1tlTUKAZflDQ+aQR