Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Thought du Jour: Neutral or Combatant?

When the family is fighting over something, what happens?
(a) you escape to your room and hide out until the fight is over
(b) you passionately argue for your viewpoint
(c) you sit in your chair and listen to the argument
(d) you ARE the cause of the fight and therefore do both (b) and (c).
In other words, are you a neutral or a combatant?
Neutrals are generally the ones who act on Option A. They either have an opinion and are too concerned about what would happen if they voice it, or they don't care at all what happens, or they don't have any opinion whatsoever, don't know what to think. Do I go with Mom or Dad? What will Mom do to me if I side with Dad? Or vice versa? They're usually the shy ones sitting alone at lunch.
Combatants are generally the ones who have strong opinions and will fight about it with anyone. They exercise either Option B or Option D. They are in the middle of every disagreement in their immediate environment, no matter how ridiculous the matter may be. Like which is better: Oreos or Chips Ahoy? They'll often cause problems with their opinionated comments, and then argue their way out of punishment. Often people will suggest that they join the debate team at school.
Which one is better? You tell me.
My guess is, there's a time and a place for both.

Quote for the day: Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing in the game.

1 comment:

MikeC said...

Agreed! Definitely each has it's place. Now, does your family ever fight?? ;-)