A Great Debate

The highlight of my day was a small event that was related to class, but was completely initiated by us, the students. We thought it would be fun to have our own debates! We learned that some Civil War soldiers organized debate societies and they would discuss issues that were important to them at the time. Tonight, the topic was related to the United States' relations with North Korea. I knew very little about the entire situation but I decided to volunteer as one of the two debaters, and the two of us were each assigned pro or con. I got the more difficult side, and I say that because I had a hard time finding information that could strongly support what I would argue for.

Tonight was our debate. It was short and informal, only about 40 minutes, but it was fun. More importantly, it was enlightening for all of us. Half the time was presentation. The other half was taking questions from the audience. There was a vote at the end. By the vote count, I "lost," but I was personally on the edge of the two sides anyway. Everyone there enjoyed our debate activity, and both of us debaters received several compliments. More than anything, the debate focused on discussion, and I appreciate that.

It was a great debate, not because it was spectacular or significant. It was great because it was fun and enlightening for all fourteen of us that were there. I am grateful for tonight's independent debate, of students, by students, and for students.