You’re in the middle of a terrible argument, and everyone turns to you to help resolve it. How do you respond? How do you react to conflict?
First of all, it would hardly be me in the midst of any terrible argument because I shy way from conflict as if it were the plague. I do enjoy a spirited debate where everyone knows that it is in harmless fun and we are engaging in goodnatured verbal jousting, trying to "win" arguments by building the most persuasive arguments using facts and theories. I enjoy those because no one is angry, we are just trying to best each other in friendly competition. I especially loved the lively debates around my parents dinner table at every single one of their dinner parties, those were so much fun and no one ever went away angry, there was so much laughter and camaraderie at those parties, I have very fond memories of those.
Terrible arguments would have me running for the hills, yelling and hurtful insults, language just make me shut down, they always have, ever since I was little, I had a strong aversion to others yelling and getting very angry. I don't know why, my house wasn't a place of yelling and my parents didn't fight when I was little. I remember dreading going to school in second grade because my teacher would scream at the other students, I didn't get yelled at but her yelling at the others was enough for me to not want to go back to class.
So I'm sorry if everyone turned to me in the midst of a terrible argument, they would be looking at what you see in the cartoons, a whiff of smoke and me over three mountain tops away from the scene and everybody. I would be of no help whatsoever.
laurieanichols 