We’ve all been there, arguing with someone who will clearly never change their view or even try to see ours. So why do we keep arguing? Is it even worth it?

The answer is yes, it is almost always worth it. In one of my classes, we discussed the idea of conflicts and arguments. Although these two words might seem like the same thing, people actually had very different interpretations of each word. Whereas some people thought that conflicts led to arguments, others believed that arguments led to conflicts. Whatever the case was, we all were in agreement; conflicts/arguments are not always a bad thing.

If there is an issue that you feel strongly about, you should keep having arguments because it creates a conversation, even if it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Of course, there are some arguments where it might be worth it to wave the white flag, such as arguing about where to eat dinner with your friend. But when a conflict involves an ideology that you believe is worth fighting for, arguing is so important. It starts a conversation that otherwise might have never started.

When you think about it, some of the biggest conflicts in history have led to pretty incredible things. For example, had the Civil Rights Movement not created conflict through protests and civil disobedience, there would never have been any progress made in terms of achieving social justice.

I thought this topic was very interesting because a lot of people tend to believe that conflicts are a negative thing, but that just isn’t the case. Arguments don’t always involve anger and yelling either; they can be respectful conversations that just involve opposing views. These respectful conversations are the most constructive ones because you really listen to what the person has to say and they listen to you, instead of yelling over each other and not even listening to a word the other speaker has to say.

I began to realize that I was guilty of sometimes engaging in unproductive arguments. By this I mean I tend to only worry about my side of an argument rather than listening to what the other person really has to say. I might be thinking of my next response without even hearing what they have to say, which is not respectful or helpful when engaging in dialogue with anyone.

At the end of the class, we were told to make a small, achievable goal for ourselves in regard to conflicts and arguments. I decided that I would make a conscious effort to really listen to everything someone says to me during an argument instead of thinking of my next response first. I also want to continue to always fight for the things I believe in, even if it might seem like there is no hope in making any change. Everything has to start somewhere, and it usually begins with a simple conversation.