I’ve been thinking about how I keep having the same conversations over and over. About how sometimes I argue just for the sake of arguing. Thinking about how arguing feels like uitwaaien to me– walking into the wind for the sake of feeling invigorated. Thinking about how I need resistance in order to understand who I am, and how when everything is peaceful I don’t feel alive. And by alive, perhaps I mean exhilarated.

The gift of arguing is, perhaps, that it clarifies what you believe. If you are trying to convince someone to see it your way, then you will try as many different explanations and modes as possible. This changes how you see your position, and maybe also how you see yourself.