THE POWER OF A GREAT DEBATE

I’ve just finished a heated but respectful 1 hour political twitter debate with a complete stranger. I’m now reflecting on how totally random and out the blue it was but on the flip side how healthy an exchange of conflicting ideas and opinion is once in a while. 

My main social circle I must admit consists of a group of people that uphold the same morals, values and ideologies as me (most of the time). Although this is very pleasant, unconsciously a ‘group think’ mentality sometimes does set in. In certain circumstances this collective mindset can be detrimental to the fertile foundation that is needed for new seeds of ideas to blossom. A good ole’ tongue waggle with a passionate person/people whose views clash with my own is something that I find myself at times yearning for. It’s got nothing to do with my ego or always wanting be right, it’s purely due to the fact that it always aids in some type of growth (although I may be highly irritated at the time). 

I’ve had countless debates in my life time, however this one particular stands out due to the platform on which we communicated and the fact and I didn’t know this person from Adam. Not even a profile picture to put an unknown face to the unknown name, nada. A complete and utter stranger.  Upon reflection this unexpected debate allowed me to get into the mind of the mysterious stranger and see issues/thoughts from a totally new perspective. It highlighted the flaws in some of my opinions subsequently creating a shift in my outlook, in this instance on the global political landscape. It provided a platform on which my knowledge was showcased and lack of knowledge was equally brought to the forefront. A few of my character traits which I don’t often scrutinise reared their heads, such as my unapologetically opinionated nature. However, my years of training of in not being afraid or ashamed to admit when I’m wrong have definitely paid off ultimately bringing about balance in myself. Most importantly it showed that respect and keeping an open mind at all times is essential to a great debate (and most things in life). The stubborn ‘You can’t tell me nothing’ mentality can obstruct life lessons and new information, preventing mind expansion – and what good is that?

To sum up my experience I created this quote:

“A great debate opens eyes and unlocks minds”

Love and light

Selina x

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