It's a good struggle though, although it's sometimes annoying. I
   use my emotional responses as a cue. If I get an emotional
   response of discomfort, I ask myself what it is "in me" that's
   causing the discomfort. I ask, "How might I be wrong and they be
   right" first.

   ['they" is the opposing opinion that causes the whole awkward
   situation - there doesn't have to be any people involved;
   analogous to devil/angel arguing type of thing]

   It's facing the awkward beast head on that way: the imaginary
   situation that you are certain about something and then suddenly
   finding yourself standing there, bare and naked, fingers
   pointing and mocking, and angry faces coming excessively close
   and saying, "You are WRONG!" and the crowds chant, "wrong wrong
   wrong wrong"

   Something like that.

   Anyway, it's helpful to face that first. Just takes a moment of
   mental visualization. Once I can reconcile where I *might* be
   wrong and the "they" be right, THEN I can argue more rationally
   with myself until I come up with a conclusion.

   A faster way is asking myself, "What am I avoiding right now?"
   and listing all possibilities I'm avoiding to uncover my own
   prejudices. Just takes a few mental moments or if it's a serious
   issue, stick it on paper or on the computer or whatever.

   And actually, getting it "out of the head" is good. There's not
   much room in the present moment consciousness, so it's good to
   stick it into the past on a piece of paper so you can look at it
   in the future and clear up your mind for the present task of
   thinking.

   and sometimes the conclusion turns out to be yet more
   awkwardness, but it's an awkwardness I can handle a little
   better.

   In the process, I try hard to avoid blaming others. The
   incongruency is in my mind and no one elses at that moment, so
   that's where it has to be resolved, using tools like writing,
   talking, typing, whatever, to 'get it out' of the head when it's
   more than the magical 7 item limit or so at a time.