You get invited to a lot of arguments. You don’t have to RSVP to every one.

Provocation is an invitation, and invitations can be declined. Someone being wrong in front of you is not an obligation, though it feels like one, especially when you can see exactly how to win. The cost of attending is your afternoon and your mood, paid whether or not you are right. Noticing that you are choosing is most of the freedom here.

When something pulls at you, wait an hour before answering. Ask what changes if you win, and who else will ever know. Some arguments genuinely matter and deserve you, which is easier to see when you are not attending all of them.