And in this corner...

Many of us, when challenged, prefer to take the 'I'm a lover not a fighter' road. Whether the motivation lies in fear or partiality is something we seldom admit even to ourselves. Of importance however, is that we know when it is necessary to recreate a bar-room scene or simply opt to mount the nearest steed and ride off into the sunset.

Usually I suggest the evening ride since few things are worth the consequence of the fight, I do however believe there are four things worth almost any fight; Principles, Friends, Love and Answers.

Principles are a summary of who we are and what we represent. I fully endorse the adage that 'if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything'. Our refusal to stand for that which we believe lessens our value and importance. One wrecking-ball on a chain, can damage in one hour, that which took one year to build. All it takes however, is one link of that chain to break away from the others therefore rendering the ball useless. Be that link.

It is a common belief that family is more important than friends. I love family dearly but still selectively beg to differ. Family exist whether you are there or not , in contrast friendship exist only when you are. You choose your friends and do so with good reason. If friendship is true, it is worth any fighting. Usually you tend not to be quite sure who your friends are until the time comes for them to prove their status, but once they have it is your responsibility to maintain their worth.

We search for love (even when we pretend to be uninterested) and then when we find it, we usually pretend that it doesn't matter. True love is worth the fighting. True love is not ordinary love, it is the love that knows no questions and holds no doubts. Frequently we try to sculpt ordinary love into true love by hiding from its flaws and beautifying its facade. Only when we are honest with ourselves and honest about our comfort does it become our duty to protect that which makes us content. The secret is knowing when to admit defeat.

People often tell us what they want us to know and not what we want to know. There are times however when we really deserve answers to what we want to know. Armed with persistence we can fight for the knowledge we require. The key is knowing whether we can truly handle the answers we seek. Are you a fighter...can you answer that?