A Major Cause of America’s Disharmony

Recently, while on a cruise, I had a very revealing conversation with a gentleman at my dining room table. It began by his asking about my background. I told him it was unusual: social case worker, time study engineer, and professor of Critical Thinking.

He then asked me to explain the latter, and I explained it involved changing educators telling students what to think (aka lecturing) to teaching them how to think: that is, to identify the various sides of an issue, examine the evidence supporting each, and in light of that, determine which side is most reasonable.

I concluded by saying that Critical Thinking is no longer in vogue in many classrooms. Moreover, that teachers in those classrooms substitute their personal opinions for traditional content, often on matters unrelated to the general subject matter.

The gentleman said in response, “If I wanted to, I could simply say the opposite of what you said.” I looked for him to add a smile, or at least a follow-up to explain his view further. but there was neither.

Since nothing political had been mentioned, and I had not spoken rudely but simply offered well-documented information in my profession, I concluded that he had simply disapproved of what I said (without saying why), and therefore considered the discussion closed.

As I pondered this experience over the next day or so, I realized that it may offer an insight into the disharmony that is all too present among many Americans. Here is why:

The gentleman’s flat disapproval of what I said, coupled with his decision not to ask me where I got my information, or why I interpreted it as I did, and then offer his own viewpoint, denied us both of a valuable exchange of ideas.

Furthermore, I believe his flat disapproval of what I said and his refusal to discuss it could easily spark a vicious cycle.

Such resentment of others can cause anger, which can lead to hatred, negative assumptions, unfair judgments, verbal and even physical attacks. What makes this progression not only possible but likely is that it is founded on mindless irrationality. It thus leaves no room for questioning one’s own ideas, let alone fairly considering other people’s. This, in turn, diminishes other people’s humanity and as a result forfeits one’s own!

Taken together, the vicious cycle I have described is the perfect working ground for people who promote sheer nonsense and/or evildoing to persuade the gullible to follow their lead. Here are a few examples of the effectiveness of such promotion.

• Judges’ refusing to jail perpetrators of violent crimes despite the likelihood they will repeat them.
• Sanctuary cities continuing to support open borders despite clear evidence that it seriously harms the nation.
• Politicians of both policial parties resisting efforts to end fraud and waste in government.
• Scientists (of all people) denying that women alone can give natural birth to children.
• Highly educated people expressing difficulty defining “woman.”
• Teachers accepting or approving biological males competing in female sports and/or sharing the same locker rooms and bathrooms.
• Teachers and physicians allowing/encouraging children who have not yet reached the age of reason to change their genders.
• Elected officials defending disruptive protests and even riots.
• Well educated people advocating changing America’s capitalistic system to socialism or communism.

These examples, which are no doubt familiar to almost every reader, have something in common with my cruise experience. The people involved in them, like the dining room gentleman, “simply say the opposite” of what others may say, and that’s the end of the matter. And the result is the same; they deny themselves and all those around them, a valuable—in fact, crucial, exchange of ideas. And that denial is largely responsible for the disharmony we Americans have been experiencing in our homes and meeting places and every other walk of life.” How sad.

Copyright © 2026 by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. All rights reserved.