Five things to think about before engaging in a fight (or word war)

One of the downsides of being on lockdown is that you tend to have a lot of time in your hands. That means you have too much time to spare to not just do productive things, but also set your mind wandering and contemplating on a ton of issues. And because we’re just humans, it’s only natural that we sometimes turn these issues into conversation pieces. But then, these topics can sometimes strike a friend or family member’s sensitive chord. So I decided to come up with a list of top five things to think about before engaging in a fight or word war with someone.

1. Is the topic worth fighting over?

If it’s anything about politics or religion, I suggest you just steer clear. These two topics, when it gets down and dirty, are not to be pushed because, believe it or not, rarely will you get the person you’re arguing with to see your point of view. And same goes for you.

2. Is the person you’re fighting with worth losing or keeping?

Sometimes an argument , especially between passionate individuals, can end up with both arguers in a stalemate- or worse, in a state of anger. And sometimes, these can happen even between family members and friends. When arguing, just make sure you don’t take the argument to a personal level (though everything becomes personal, eventually, if you ask me.)

3. Will you remain objective and will you listen?

The thing about argument is you simply want to get your argument across- and your voice heard. Rarely would you listen to the other side say his or her piece. So if you’re not willing to listen to the other side, really no point arguing.

4. Do you know that you can lose? (and that losing is alright?)

In any battle, there is one who will surely win and one who will surely lose. And that goes for you, too. No matter how smart you think you are, there would always be that chance that you will be outwitted or outshined. Hey, not everything will go your way! Remember that.

5. Do you really need to bring a fight on social media?

A lot of things can go wrong if you bare your soul–and put the spotlight on your fight on social media. Many people will surely join the ruckus and before you know it, everything has spun out of control.