Debate is a highly refined form of communication. One of the best reasons to engage in debate is to exercise the mind. Through debate, you can not only refine your ideas, but you can also develop your mental muscle. If there is ever a time we need mental muscle, it’s now, as we move into the new millennium. Ideologies are going to be coming at us from all directions. Some of them will work in concert to help build a good world, and some are going to be in conflict. But whether ideas are in concert or in conflict, you’ve got to have the necessary mental muscle to be able to understand different ideologies, sort them out, and state your opinion clearly.
We could get into the great debate of whether there would be positive without negative. Here’s my (Jim Rohn) best answer: it doesn’t seem like it. Would there be good without evil? I don’t think so. Would there be life without death? Probably not. It seems to require both to make a scenario. Would there be health without illness? It doesn’t seem like it. Would there be light without darkness? No, I don’t think so. Would there be winning without losing? How could there be? It wouldn’t make sense. You couldn’t win if nobody lost.
Somebody asked me once about my definition of life. I said that life is the struggle to keep death at a respectable distance. Death seems to want to move in prematurely, and you’ve got to push it back to live as long as you possibly can. Why? Because illness is out to push your health into a small corner. You’ve got to make sure that your health regimens are out to push your illnesses into a small corner. Somebody’s going to push somebody. Here’s the best way I can describe the human experience: there are opposites in conflict, and we’re caught in the middle. In the midst of those opposites vying for territory is the glorious possibility of human experience. That is what makes the scenario.
We must learn to embrace both the positive and the negative through the art of debate. We’ve got to drink from both cups. You don’t know what you’re missing if you’re acknowledging less than the full range of human experience, the whole drama with all of its clashes and conflicts.
What if you were listening to a symphony orchestra, and it only played little happy high notes all evening. How much of that could you take? No one would stay. Don’t you also want to hear the startling crash of the cymbals, the somber music that drags you down into the tragedy of life? Of course! Play me the whole orchestra. Don’t leave any of it out. Most of the music of the world is written in the minor key–the key of pathos, sadness, mystery, and wonder. You can’t shrug that off. You’ve got to experience it. Otherwise, there is no scenario; there is no life.
We need the negative to alarm us. Imagine you’re driving down a country road. Up ahead, the bridge is out, but there are no signs to warn you. Somebody who’s already been down the road has had a colossal wreck. He is limping back up the road as you’re speeding along. He flags you down, and he advises you not to go down this road any further because the bridge is out. Would it be wise to say, “I’m not into that negative stuff. Mind your own business!” and head on down the road? No! Once you’ve taken a look at this guy, and it appears that he’s been in a wreck, the wise response would be, “Hey, I’d better take it easy. I’d better not go down this road. Somebody’s been down this road, and he had a disaster. I’m going to take his advice and change my direction.”
That’s what I’m asking you to do: evaluate. We need the full menu of ideas on the negative side as well as on the positive side. We need to learn about both good and evil. We need to understand the heights as well as the depths. That way, we will not be tempted to follow the evil road, although it may taste good in the beginning. Power sometimes does taste good in the beginning, but the ancient prophet said that sometimes what tastes good in the mouth turns bitter in the belly. We need to seek a well-balanced input of both the negative and the positive.
If your mind is searching through the full range of ideas, trying to come up with what you think is right, everyone will benefit. You’ve got to be healthy-minded, and debate is one of the ways to get there.
* Source: Leading an Inspired Life by Jim Rohn