A Little Salt & Light

Do You Want to Win the Argument or Change the World?

How to have hard conversations that actually make a difference

Open and meaningful dialogue involves speaking with respect and listening with care. Image AI generated by the author.

“Tell the truth — but tell the truth in love.”

A Truth I’ve Learned the Hard Way

I’ve had plenty of passionate conversations in my life — some productive, some painful, and many I wish I could redo. But one lesson keeps rising to the surface:

You have to choose your goal in a disagreement.

Do you want to:

• Win the argument?

• Enlighten and engage?

• Drop the mic?

• Or plant a seed?

Because you can’t do all of that at once.

If You Want Fruit, You Have to Cultivate It

You cannot get people to see or understand your point of view by insulting them, degrading them, or refusing to listen. Even if you’re 100% right, the second you put someone in defense mode, you’ve already lost the chance to reach their heart or shift their mind. An offended person is not teachable.

Do you want fruit or do you want…