“A soft answer turns away wrath.” Proverb 15:1a T H E A R G U M E N T A G A I N S T A R G U M E N T S

A boy once asked his father, "Dad, how do wars begin?” "Well, take the First World War," said his father. "That got started when Germany invaded Belgium." Turning her back upon him in a huff, the wife stormed out the room and slammed the door as hard as she could! When the dishes stopped rattling in the cupboard an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the boy: HOW DO WARS BEGIN? HOW DO WARS BEGIN? Immediately his wife interrupted him, "Tell the boy the truth! It began because somebody was assassinated!” The husband drew himself up with an air of superiority and snapped back, "Are you answering the question or am I?" "Daddy, you don't have to tell me how wars begin; I KNOW now!"

Arguing Arguing! Arguing! We all do it sometimes! We all know what it is to walk away from an argument with the mouth dry, tummy in a knot, head hot and spinning, and heart sick-- wishing that it had never happened, deeply regretting the unkind words that were said! Believe it or not, more homes are destroyed by arguments than by fires or funerals!

For others, arguing has become a HABIT, an automatic reaction of saying something contradictory to whatever is being said! Some people love to argue, and will do anything to prove their point! They'd rather lose a friend than an argument! We all know that arguing for the sake of arguing is a pointless waste of time! We have absolutely NOTHING to gain - only our time, energy and more importantly relationship is LOST! It is said that the only people who really LISTEN to an argument are the neighbours! We all know that arguing for the sake of arguing is a pointless waste of time! We have absolutely NOTHING to gain - only our time, energy and more importantly relationship is LOST! It is said that the only people who really LISTEN to an argument are the neighbours!

A LESSON FROM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN A LESSON FROM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN One compulsive arguer was the early American statesman, philosopher and author, Benjamin Franklin. As a youth he loved nothing more than a good argument until a close friend took him aside and said, "Ben, you are impossible! Your opinions have a slap in them for everyone who differs with you! Your friends enjoy themselves better when you are not around! You think you KNOW so much that no one can TELL you anything. Indeed, no one is going to try, for the effort would only lead to discomfort and hard work! So you are not likely ever to know any more than you do now--which is actually very LITTLE!"

"If you argue and rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes. But it will be an empty victory, because you will never get your opponent's good will!" Ben Franklin was BIG enough and WISE enough to accept these stinging truths, and to realize that he was headed for failure and social disaster! So he immediately began to change his bigoted, argumentative ways! He became one of the best loved, wisest and most diplomatic men in American history, and was actually remembered for saying:

NO ONE ever really wins an argument! And remember, no amount of logic or argument will make anyone change his mind if he doesn't want to! And even if they would LIKE to agree with you, your tone may have put them so much on the defensive that it would be like an utter humiliation, a defeat on the battlefield, for them to confess you're right or even partly right! Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each side more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right! You can shout and scream and argue until you're blue in the face, but people are not going to believe that you are right unless they WANT to believe it!

Well, suppose you triumph over the other person and shoot his argument full of holes and prove that he's an absolute idiot. You can't win an argument, because if you lose it, you lose it!-- And if you WIN it, you still LOSE it! Why?Why? "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still!" You'll feel fine, smug and satisfied. But what about him? You'll have made him feel inferior. You've hurt his pride. He may resent your triumph, and… Then what ?

"WHAT CAUSES FIGHTS AND QUARRELS AMONG YOU?" "WHAT CAUSES FIGHTS AND QUARRELS AMONG YOU?" “….Don't they come from your lusts and desires that battle within you? You want something, but don't get it...so you quarrel and fight.” --James 4:1-2. So greediness and selfishness can be one of the root causes of arguing, trying to get the things you selfishly want. Other arguments are caused by PRIDE. Proverbs 13:10 says, “Only by PRIDE come quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Also, as we've clearly seen, many arguments are caused by SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.--Pushing your point, thinking that you're so right, putting yourself up and the other person down by contradicting them!

And what it all boils down to is a lack of LOVE! And what it all boils down to is a lack of LOVE! That's one of the major lessons that God wants us to learn-- how to LOVE people, how to work with them, how to treat them, how to give the other person the advantage and the benefit of the doubt, how to build them up unselfishly, instead of selfishly tearing them down through contention and argument! All this is a part of LEARNING TO LOVE, to put ourselves in other people's shoes, to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you!” Arguing isn't the real problem, that's just a SYMPTOM! --A LACK OF LOVE is the REAL problem!

Feel free to share this with others. GOD can give you the solutions, change your heart and spirit, fill you with His Spirit of Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. GOD also can give you the strength and grace to LOVE and NOT argue! So stay close to GOD !!! Love, Humility and Prayer solves all problems! from FROPKI.COM (All human problems are spiritually based and will be spiritually resolved.)

Don't wait to make a big change in the quality of your life. Eight of these ten little ways to happiness can be done in less than five minutes. To read each of the next 10 slides, right-click to pause. Then left-click to release the pause to continue to next slide

1. Smile. Raise the corners of your mouth. Soon your smile will become genuine. The smile that begins as an effort and a pretense quickly grows to become genuine, and given time, a habit of happiness. In the words of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." 2. Breathe deeply and slowly. Focus your entire attention on each in-breath and out- breath. Imagine drawing new clean energy in through the top of your head on each in-breath, and expelling old stale energy out the soles of your feet on each out-breath. 3. Take a quiet walk by yourself. Focus on each step and on your breathing. As stray thoughts enter your mind, thank each one, and quickly release the thought and return to a focus on your breathing and your steps. 4. Count your blessings. Make a gratitude list. You have thousands of reasons to be thankful. Be thankful for those who serve you. Make a list of those you depend upon. Everyone has many people who help along the way. Don't forget those who grow and deliver your food, keep your electricity and telephone running, provide emergency medical care, and protect the safety of your community and your nation. 5. Forgive someone for something right now. Release the resentment and anger. This practice is for you to become happier. Telling the other person that you forgive them is completely optional, and is merely a bonus. 6. Stretch your body. Do yoga, do qigong, or just stand and stretch. As a simple stretch, stand and hold your arms out to your sides forming a cross. Gently bend each hand back at the wrist until the fingers point straight upward. Twist each hand and arm in a wringing motion as if you were operating a screwdriver. 7. Turn on happy music and dance. Don't stop 'til you're tired. Dance with someone or dance all by yourself. Choose music that makes you want to move and keep moving such as Latin Fitness Dance music. 8. Spend some time with a furry friend. If you don't have your own, borrow a cat or dog to love today. 9. Be of service. Find someone who has worse troubles than you and do something nice for them today. 10. Have a conversation with God (or whatever you call your Higher Power). Approach the conversation with an attitude of gratitude rather than neediness.

Taken from received 1: It tells you that everything you do will always leave a mark. 2: You can always correct the mistakes you make. 3: The important thing in life is what you are from inside and not from outside. 4: In life you will under go painful sharpening which will make you better in whatever you do. 5: Finally, to be the best you can be, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you. Click to close