A Spark by Innocent Mwatsikesimbe from The Vision, chapter 62

Some people will pull you into a quarrel again and again, and Innocent’s answer is to stop making room for them. Being regularly at odds with him is enough to lose his company, because what he guards is peace of mind and composure.

The reason is practical rather than lofty. An altercation throws off a lot of negative energy, and that energy rattles the seas of the mind, sending waves to the shore when you can’t contain yourself. A settled mind is a deeper-thinking one: “As still waters run deep, calm minds think deep too.”

So arguing to look clever or to win an edge is a poor trade; it spends attention he has productive uses for. “I just want to be left in peace so I can work on my life.” Not everyone sees it his way, and he doesn’t need them to — he puts out the small fires lit in his space and carries on.