In this day and age, why do we still listen? When we can send an indignant, vicious, or otherwise expressive comment at the touch of a button, regardless of what we're commenting on, when we can discharge our every ill, every rush-of-the-moment feeling instantaneously, why slow down to do the bothersome, boring thing—thinking?

I watched the red state vs. blue state debate hosted on Fox News last week. In my opinion, it was not an argument; it was a good old-fashioned shouting match. The two contestants in the ring—the Floridian presidential candidate Ron DeSantis and the leading voice of the Democrats, Gavin Newsom—fought rhetorically a good fight, punching the lights out of each other, but did little to address the fundamental rifts between the two states' parties and ideologies. In short, it was not an argument in the sense of a reasoned debate with both sides trying to find common ground based on acknowledging and understanding the merits of each other's argument. It is emblematic of the partisanship and polarization not just in American society, from where these two politicians hail, but in the world at large.

As debates become ever more televised, both literally and metaphorically, they are also becoming more extreme. Regard for truth is being discarded in favor of inflamed rhetoric and fiery taunts, as the two governors' debate illustrates. Current injustices are diverted to past misfortunes, and future harms are ignored. Logos is yielding to pathos.

To that onslaught of heat over reason, words over action, lies over truth, we must stand our ground, holding onto the beachhead of truth, upholding the bottom line of integrity. Lies must be met with truth if truth is to emerge victorious. Malice shan't be met with equal vilifying but reason and fact.

Social media has been compared to a public square of old. Everyone is allowed a say, but only so long as they conform to the moral and ethical standards of the community. As the Internet has allowed us to communicate with an ever-larger audience, we have an even greater responsibility to ensure what we post and repost are compliant with such standards. We must treat online debate as that in the courtroom. Only from rigorous debate can we teach on the truth, but only from reasoned debate can we get anywhere at all. We're all jurors and advocates in this trial of truth and falsity. Let us not stand idly by as spectators.

If you wanted to stop reading when you read the first sentence of this article, thank you for hearing me out. In life, as in reading this article, look for the full picture, not just the first line.