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Suggestions on how to handle an argument.

The Internet is a wonderful sauce of information, commerce and free speech. I've found it a wonderful study of human behavior. Visit any message board and sooner or later you'll find two or more people in a spirited, heated discussion regarding anything from Apple versus Microsoft, Toyota versus Honda, or the quality of the latest works of George Lucas versus his earlier Star Wars films.

When people come to the point of a heated debate, and through observation I've been able to notice patterns of behavior that are nearly always consistent when people get into heated debates. I've also experienced a number of arguments through personal experience in life, but since I've been typically a coward and avoided such things in the past, message boards were a better source to go to.

Basically you can name any give subject that comes to mind and sooner or later a heated argument will emerge. Conversations and debates are abundant in life but sooner or later the same scenario manages to occur; The argument that goes nowhere, problems occur, feelings are hurt and given time they can lead down paths that can make them extremely hard if not impossible to mend.

There are many ways to handle these situations. Some clearly more effective than others, and of what I've observed and contemplated decided to share these thoughts that someone perhaps might find them useful.

Don't start...

It can be really tempting to get involved in an argument in the first place: You may see two people going at it' and feel you have a better perception, but if the two people are in the process of hurling insults at each other (hopefully not random objects!) it's best to stay out of it. Chances are you'll only fuel a fire. The best thing to do if you do choose to get involved is to be a mediator: Tell them to go to their corner and cool off. No cookie for them!

Letting it go:

Nearly everyone has their own set of pet peeves, those annoying little habits we get to inflict upon others, but when it comes to fighting about them, it's a good idea to determine if the problem is really worth it. You're spouse leaves the cap off the toothpaste tube or the seat up in the bathroom, or towels adorn the floor instead of the towel bars. Are these annoyances based on how you were raised or a desire to have the bathroom clean? If it's simply matter of doing things differently and not causing a major issue, then it's probably best to try to let it go. But if there are genuine problems,

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