DEBATE; A SPEAKER’S SECRET WEAPON

 Sir,

The enterprising work by certain individuals in the education sector has led to the growth of the noble art of debating. The art of the intellectual give-and-take, the jarring and sparring of minds that hones the eloquence of man, lending itself to the conquest of emotions by reason. This exploit is but the first bold step towards that most coveted of all ideals in education; the holistic fulfilment of the individual.

This worthy ideal demands the incremental application of its concepts. To take up once more the old path and bring to it the economy of our contemporaries, it is with a conscious effort to elevate the individual elements within that we begin to affect the whole.

The art of debating, like any system, is built upon a wellspring of energy that, when well treated, gives sustenance to all subsequent moves, with one leading to the next, content to structure, structure to strategy, but without the careful preservation and cultivation of the wellspring it will all be for naught. With debating, the wellspring is the character or will of the individual; this is the decisive factor, with content paying court to it, so that anyone seeking to master this art is obliged to begin at this point. The nature of this law can be observed in society, where the general allotment of privilege, of position, by men in relation to men, has, in instances where all things being equal, been decided by the personal character of a man.

It is as though, upon finding himself in society, man is fain obliged to withdraw from the bank account of his personal character and whosoever, on withdrawing, would find themselves in possession of a fortune greater than that of their fellow men, is duly given pride of place. That is why, on the occasion that a speaker of character addresses a crowd, each man, within that crowd, feels, according to his degree, the insistence of that principle that governs his place in society and in equal measure, a man without character, however brilliant the content of his address be, finds his crowd cold and unmoved. The cultivation of this principle, is my humble suggestion, to those men and women who are engaged in this great enterprise.

M Sithole

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