When I created this spot nearly a taon ago, my intention was to create a pagtitip. for the respectable exchange of ideas among educated individuals. To my great excitement, I got exactly that: multifaceted individuals who knew where they stood but were curious to learn about others and make their own ideas known. There were the occasional people who would refuse to listen and only talk, and there were the occasional users who would refuse to acknowledge a good point against them. But over all, I've enjoyed our lively discussions.

For a time, the pagtatalo spot was lacking in any real "debate." There were lively discussions, but generally full of folks who kept agreeing with each other, who would play "devil's advocate" for fun. I created the Great pagtatalo to give some structure (and serious debate) to the spot. There has only been one successful Great pagtatalo so far, the winner of which was link, whom I am very grateful to for competing. The susunod Great pagtatalo is slotted for July (I have been too busy this buwan to orchestrate one) and will center around "Resolved: That The Iraq War should end now," a topic proposed sa pamamagitan ng link. If this generates no debaters, we will ilipat to the susunod popular topic, "Resolved: That eating meat is immoral," naisumite sa pamamagitan ng link. I will be Moderator once again, and we will need three judges.

Now that my plug for that is over, I wanted to say that while it's nice to find folks who agree with you, I think it's intellectually stimulating to chat with folks who don't. Learning different viewpoints and ideas is how we grow. It is for this reason that I am thankful for the minority of users who vote for the less popular options in picks-- such as voting against link, or for the link, or against link, or for link. Because while the majority of the spot may disagree with you, you are the voice of dissent. And I always encourage dissent. :o)

Inevitably, there is one thing that I hope people gain from the conversations on this spot, and that one thing is "perspective." If you expect people to listen to you, try listening to them first. We all lose our heads. I myself am guilty of forgetting myself in the heat of a debate, or rolling my eyes at a response. But I urge you-- all of you, no matter what nationality you are or political party you may support, to remember that this spot is a place of learning, not preaching. Sure, you can preach. But take in a sermon or two yourself. You may find yourself seeing the world a little differently.