Ever had a conversation with someone that becomes exhausting and it goes nowhere? Every word said needs to be analyzed or contested, if not enlightened by some not needed piece of information. By the end of the conversation, which one welcomes, there is this feeling of exhaustion and drainage. I have met many people like that, and it is very difficult to have a conversation with them because their focus is to debate anything and/or everything that is said. It is not a pleasant exchange, but futile, even when no attempt to re-establish a point is made.

Life is not a battle or debate. Instead, it is an interaction, an open exchange of ideas between people, whether explicit or not, through words and actions. There is no need to approach a conversation with our backs against a wall, ready to fire back. Unless it is an intended discussion were points and opinions are to be debated, there is no need to be defensive or pedagogical. I have seen people become easily agitated or stressed out in normal circumstances, and part of it is their approach at viewing existence as a constant battle, where every social exchange has to be a debate; a battle against what?

People are different (thank God), have different ideas, ways to approach living, and they come from different backgrounds/cultures. One culture does not define planet Earth; all are part of the beautiful human race. We seem to miss that point. It may sound pollyannaish, but life is not meant to be a constant battle or war of the words. The old advice of “let’s agree to disagree” alludes to this type of interaction, and maybe one more appropriate would be to “live and let live,” as the song says. All in the right context.

Writing characters in depth, may sometimes, become exhausting, and many times, reading them as well. It depends on the context and also on how well the writer has experienced/observed the emotions attached to these characters. I don’t think a character should ever be rushed. I think as writers, we should play with them a bit and see what they are all about before we commit to write them. Others, write themselves.