Opposition

"Have you learned lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you?

Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed the passage with you?"
--Walt Whitman

If everyone agreed with my views, my position wouldn't have much strength. It's only when I'm forced to defend my views that my stand gains the footing it needs. Having someone challenge my thinking gives me an opportunity to either hide from the hard questions, or pursue the answers. If I can't handle the possibility that the answers I find may not be the ones I wanted to learn, then I may as well hide my head in the sand and pretend the questions don't exist. But if, on the other hand, I can take that risk, then by pursuing the Truth I stand at least a 50/50 chance of finding a more solid foundation for my views.