Disagreement is Not Attack

Most people conflate disagreeing with an idea and attacking the person holding it. This conflation is why so many disagreements escalate into arguments, and so many arguments into broken relationships.

A good disagreement can deepen a relationship because it signals respect — you take the other person's ideas seriously enough to engage with them. A bad disagreement damages the relationship because it signals the opposite: their ideas are unworthy, so they must be too.