I Debate You

I'm a passionate person, the oldest child and some form of a feminist. I love my family, few friends and chocolate. I'm usually laid back, organized, and don't mind going with the flow. However, I'm also a very passionate debater. I love debating, or as some see it falsely, arguing. It could be the stubborn blood poured into me from both sides of my parents; it could also be the fact that as an oldest child your reasoning has to be twice as good as the next one in line, because honestly, they do have an easier time getting what they want; or it could be the fact that I am not always a proud owner of a fiery temper and when I get going you had better sit down because it's going to be a while; or it could be my mother, who was similar to me in the above and whom I loved debating with.

Now, the definition of debating to me is probably different from you. Usually in school subjects it's arguing the side of pro against con. I don't enjoy the word arguing in this sense. To me, arguing surrounds a intimate subject or comment between two or three people. Such as husbands and wives, siblings, parents and children, friends, etc. In debating, I don't tend to take things to heart or take them too personally. I don't debate personally and I don't like it to BE personal. I'm simply doing it as a way of expanding. I like challenges, I like to be challenged. Debating subjects or opinions allows me to expand my thoughts and ideas, playing them back and forth either as the devil's advocate or the angel's helper. It allows me to think of things or sides that I hadn't turned over and taken a good look at yet. It allows me to become more tolerant of other's opinions or views because of how they see the world, of how I see the world and of how Christ saw the world (or the way we each believe Christ saw the world).

I'm not looking into getting huffy and puffy about subjects. I'm not looking for someone to give me the two thumbs up or down, say that I've impressed them or say I've opened their eyes. I am simply, honestly here, I am simply trying to back you against the wall as much as you are me so that we have to be alert, focused and dynamic on our respective sides. I'm not going to walk away from you thinking you are the worst person in the world, most likely. Sure, sometimes I feel like a fool and my natural reaction is to strike out at you emotionally or verbally; but most likely we'll both walk away thinking about things a little differently - at least if you're open minded you will.

Love, success, affection or anything else emotional is usually void in my arguments. I'm debating with my head, for pure mental stimulation or exercise. That's it. That's all. I enjoy being pressed and pulled and swung at and applauded for. It's like a game of Chess between your two heads without the pawns. And really, is there an absolute truth in either argument? Can one of you definitively be called 'the winner'? In politics there is no truth. In life there is no clarity. Everyone and everything has been dissorted by their own experiences, their own cultures and their own intelligence. There is a kernel of truth for every stone of lies. And it already shows that whenever someone tries to impose the "truth" on someone else, there will be blood in the streets. Even love, or beauty the two things most commonly sought after have no true definition. Beauty could be Heidi Klum, or it could be ground zero at 9/11; love could a caregiver or a flexible sexual partner.

What I want to sum it up in is this: debating is just that - debating. It's simply two ideas brought against each other under the mircoscope, looking for truth in the lies. Maybe one will have more than the other, maybe both will be unclear. But it's just debating people. It's not like I'm burning your favourite teddy bear.