What's important to you may not be important to me but that doesn't give me the right to dismiss your concerns.

            There are times when we forget common courtesy when discussing issues.  Items of importance need to be defined and discussed.

            That's why governments and some groups and organizations publish agendas before their meetings.  Hopefully, they give interested persons the opportunity to "post" their item of importance on the agenda or at least hear their words during the public comment period.

            It doesn't cost anything, except a bit of your time, to listen.

            Then comes the hard part: discussion.  If the majority of the group feels there is no need for discussion, for whatever reason, they need to clearly and honestly state that reason. 

            As long as it is done clearly and honestly, at that point, the argument should be put to rest for the remainder of the meeting.  Those in opposition should seek a different method of presenting their point or, and this is important, a different group to present it to.

            Shouting and disrupting the meeting will only add to the resistance of those you are trying to sway.

            There are those who will disagree by using the "my way or the highway" argument but that rarely works and only causes more animosity.

            I learned a long, long time ago that I wouldn't or couldn't have it my way all of the time.  I learned to make my argument (or approach) in a different way.  Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn't.  When it didn't, I learned to work with and accept what the majority wanted, which I could not change.

            But that didn't stop me from trying later in life when I became old enough to vote and support candidates.

            We are a divided people and need to work harder to turn us and them into we.