A/N: What is this article about? You'll have to read it to find out. ;)

About a month ago, my English teacher taught our class how to use concession and rebuttal in an essay. This method is used to persuades skeptics of your point, and a sentence with concession goes like this: “That is true (concession), but I have to disagree because (rebuttal)…” It is basically used to appease the audience by showing that you’re listening to their argument before proceeding to tell them why you think that you’re right anyway.

This got me thinking about how we concede and rebut in real life, which made me realize that we probably rebut more than we concede. Sometimes when we’re expressing our opinion, we don’t take into account the fact that other people could be right, and saying “I agree” becomes another way to brush people off before saying “but.” Discounting opinions opposed to your own isn’t right if you haven’t actually taken the time to figure out why they think that way and if it makes sense.

Everyone has a reason behind why they think the way they think, whether it is because something influenced them or because they grew up with people with the same ideas. Opinions are interesting, and even when someone has a completely different point of view from you, it’s good to hear them out, because that will expand how you think and bring you out of the box. If nothing else, it will at least improve your skills in arguing.

On the other hand, it’s also important to stick to one’s morals. Certain areas just shouldn’t be compromised and there’s no denying that you will have to fight for what you believe in at some point in your life. It’s just a question of when.

You’re entitled to your own opinion, and so is everyone else, but sometimes it’s hard to tell who is right, so remember to really listen next time someone challenges you, and don’t forget that conceding is more than just saying “I agree,” but also actually agreeing.