Stubbornness is persistence that others do not like. We make mistakes and move on. We have to forgive ourselves first, as long as we take responsibility.

Those of us who have spent enough time on the Internet engaging others are heavily surrounded the negative aspects of communication and behavior that you have touched upon here.

A high thirst for knowledge and truth can often guide us through the typical pitfalls. One of them is that arguing/debates equal fighting. I enjoy debating with someone who respects me. He/she does not have to respect my opinion, just me as another human being. Therefore, it becomes my duty to provide a refined system of potential facts and reasoning for why I hold an opinion.

I think if we keep our values and priorities in front of us, then we have a better likelihood of taking the high road.