Hey there,

 

This one is about rehabilitation.

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I am a false zealot of the worldwide phenomenon of avoiding arguments. It makes absolute sense to not engage in petty, time-consuming, energy-sapping discussions with people who are brainlessly adamant that what they believe, is the sooth of mankind. And many a times, that has been me.

But, and at the risk of sounding like a wise, old oak, I’ve learnt that both extremes, avoiding arguments entirely and arguing all the time, can do some irreparable damage.

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My childhood passed with an ineffable disregard towards arguments. I loathed them, simply because the viewpoints of both parties strengthened during the course of the argument and a sensible conclusion became more of a myth than when said parties decided to put their points across. It didn’t do anyone any good, so, like a wise 13-year-old, I avoided them entirely. My bliss was in the fact that I could rise above the nirvana-less need of every earthling to prove themselves right.

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Oh, but pride has a way of getting back at you without you expecting it. Yes, I was proud, why wouldn’t I be? I discovered the secret to contentment. No arguments. So, where did I go wrong?

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Arguments are a gateway drug to all things sinister. It’s like gambling, if I’m being honest. You want to try your luck at some point. And I did. It was an unforgiving high, a cloud of power that sucks you right in with no intention of ever letting you go whatsoever.

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You do it again, and again, and yet again until you find yourself with a menacing smile looking at your past self on the other end of the argument spectrum. And like any other gateway drug, you don’t recall the journey to this god-awful destination.

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I’m in the withdrawal stage of the 7-step rehabilitation process. It’s been one hell of a ride aboard this malignant train, but I’m on my way back now… probably going to end my journey somewhere in the middle, set up camp and happily live the rest of my life, choosing my battles judiciously.

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