mukund shyam

Recently, I published a blogpost on perspective and how it both literally and figuratively dictates how we view the world. I touched upon how people are both the most stubborn and the most influenceable we’ve ever been, and I also touched upon how we can use our knowledge for good.

Difference in opinion is nothing now, and difference in opinion is nothing but difference in perspective. There’re 2 ways to solve a difference in perspective and it is eerily similar to the fight-or-flight response ingrained in us.

The first one is to just agree to disagree, and it is risk free and the likelihood of conflict rising from it is really rare.

The second one is to argue. And, I am here to argue that the argument is actually healthier than agreeing to disagree.\

Let me first say that by arguments, I don’t mean fights. I’m referring to more of a debate-esque discussion caused by a conflict in opinion.

Arguments help put your point across.

They teach you to convey your opinions and perspectives as well as you can, without it becoming personal. Ideally, arguments should be as far away from personal conflicts as possible, and the more you argue the more efficiently you are able to convey what you are thinking.

Arguments help for giving the topic closure.

Most of the time, if 2 people agree to disagree on something, they don’t really end up forgetting about it. They end up dwelling on it and trying to prove the other person wrong in their head.

Arguing about it lets people put their point across. Once you have a productive argument with someone, you don’t really tend to dwell on it for long (as long as both parties are satisfied with the conclusion).

Arguments also expose you to new perspectives, beliefs and lines of reasoning.

If you discuss with someone whose beliefs do not align with yours, maybe they’ll be able to show you why they think a certain way, and they may be able to convince you to leave your opinions behind.

As I’ve reiterated multiple times in this blog, evolving perspectives is the only way to survive in this evolving society.

Arguments help you put down your thoughts more cleanly.

In your head, your thoughts are a lot more vague and open ended, and talking to someone about it helps give it definition. Once you argue with someone, your thoughts usually end up a lot more concrete than before you argued with them.

Arguments are fun.

Don’t tell me you disagree with this. Debating with people about ideals, and ethics, and morals and whether pineapple on pizza is good is really fun. Trying to battle people with the power of your mind sounds like something straight out of anime, but that’s what debate is!

Just a couple of hours ago I had a really productive discussion with my brother about whether Mac is better or Windows. It was extremely fun and it also gave me an outlook into my brother’s thought process.

Arguments are fun, as long as they’re healthy. Make sure you understand its not personal, and don’t attack others personally based on their opinions. After all, what’s the point of a debate then?

Thanks for reading.