HOW TO MASTER IN DEBATING

It takes immense mental strength to adapt to changes. For example, your views often change, and people’s narratives and innovative ideas either clash with your pride or views that may sometimes be hard to accept! This is completely normal because that is how we are brought up, that is how sometimes we are considered either strong or compatible. Have you ever once considered that solely sticking to your point of view may make you seem arrogant or close-minded?

This article is not only about mastering debates but also understanding humans and their overall metaphysics. This view of thinking may seem quite interesting. After reading the book “think again” by Adam Grant, I picked out a few points that seemed quite astonishing. For instance, he talks about how it is as humans being important to think again sometimes. Because that helps us understand whether we are wrong or right. Either way, your open-mindedness takes you places and helps you have meaningful conversations or debates.

Arguments, disagreements, clashes, debates, etc., may seem uneasy to people sometimes. More specifically people with rather low mental stability. How do we know if someone has low mental stability or high mental stability? Well, for instance, you as a person, should be able to grow and accept hard opinions that may in fact be right and it is harder to understand concepts. Having deep beliefs on certain subjects and studying them for years to find out that your insights are not right or basically a dead end. So What do we do here? A person with strong mental stability, can accept hard facts and actually be okay with being wrong, even if it hurts his PRIDE.

For you to become better and achieve that peace in your head, you need to be OKAY with arguments, disagreements, being wrong, etc. Certainly, you will attain a new level of maturity.

When it comes to debates, people often with strong opinions or more specifically who are hard-headed people may come across as arrogant or stubborn, which may lead you to lose the argument. When you are debating with someone, you can’t be thinking about winning. You have to focus on getting your point across and finding a common ground. That's how you play the game. It is very important for us to be level-headed. Because when you get agitated or you don’t feel confident enough, there is a strong capability that either you are here to actually play right or wrong. What I am trying to say is, if you are agitated, either you accept the new views thrown at you or you are at a pickle on how to stick to your side. But this can actually give you the advantage of being a competent opponent. Because that means he/she knows that they are being heard and you are actually accepting a new view.

Again, over here, what I would do differently is, instead of thinking about winning, think like you have achieved a common ground and make your opponent understand that. Then slowly state your views and points that help them understand but NOT CONVINCE them!

Here is the deal, nobody likes to be convinced or throw hard facts on their faces to accept, because it is impossible. Imagine believing something for so long and there might be a possibility of you being wrong will make you feel to resist and stick to your opinions.

As I said mastering mental stability is definitely hard, but if you try, you can achieve a high level of mental stability. The game has to be played right. You are not here to fight but to help them understand your point of view. The thing is if they are right, then you have accepted it as well and that is how you reach your ultimate goal.

If you think like this with everything you do or every opinion that you have, this is not only helpful in growing but helps you find your peace. You cannot let your anger get to you. ANGER is definitely portrayed as an ugly emotion but I don’t wholly believe that, because well, sometimes it is needed to justify certain emotions. But not during debates. You have to be able to understand that you are not here to win a war but to have a meaningful discussion.

Isn’t that what life is all about? being able to accept and learn, grow, being open-minded leads you to unlock a NEW LEVEL of mental stability. Being fearful limits our capability and our thinking capacity because being free full makes us scared to voice out our opinions. You cannot be scared of being wrong!

Learning to enjoy being wrong is what helps one to grow as an individual. Experiences, challenges, and failures are what make us, US! We need those stories to realize how far we have come. So, go out there, have debates with people, accept opinions and also learn to make them accept yours as well. Keep your anger in check each time you discuss it. Because emotions can be a bitch. Either it can motivate you or make you lose. So, find a middle ground and work with it.

When you start a debate, start low and keep your point light. Going in strong may lead you to repeat your strong points and make you look disoriented. So, learn to listen, and counter-attack points that stand out. Again point out your common grounds and go from there. For example, why, who, and when? etc.

Rethinking plays a major role in debates. but it is in fact, okay and it is not weak to change your point of view. Accept and move on rather than dwelling on it!

So, In conclusion, I would say, being free less, and having healthy debates, arguments, and fights can help you understand and grow better into a beautiful intellectual being by being OKAY with being WRONG!