Communication is Essential!

Rule One: The Fallibility Principle.

“Each participant in a discussion or a disputed issue should be willing to accept the fact that they are fallible. This means that they must acknowledge that their own initial view may not be the best position on the issue (Attacking Faulty Reasoning, pg. 7).”

If you are not willing to accept that you could be wrong you are in effect saying that you are not willing to change your mind, even if you hear a better solution. This is a clear indication that you are not willing to be fair, that you are only interested in winning, or fighting, and there isn’t much point in continuing the discussion. The assumption of mutual fallibility is a crucial first step for those who are genuine in their desire to come to a solution that fits both people involved.
The important point of this rule is that an admission of fallibility is a clear indication that those involved are consciously prepared to listen to the arguments of the other. Just the fact that it is a hard thing for people to honestly admit that their point of view may be wrong, calms the emotions of the issue, and has the ability of opening our ears to different and better solutions.
In Proverbs 13:10 the Lord advises us:
“Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised comes wisdom.”

Given the huge number of issues, and the vast number of different positions on each of those issues, it is more likely that a person would turn out to be wrong on more issues than right. But as the scripture points out, it is only through allowing yourself to be advised that you are open to wisdom. A person full of pride erects a wall which deflects the desire to be advised by the other person on any issue. Someone who truly desires to find a fair, equitable solution will seek to be advised not only from the other person, but most especially from the Lord, thus turning the contention of pride into the wisdom of God.
Arguing from the standpoint that you both could be wrong, but that the Lord does know the right solution, and He is willing to help you discover the solution, opens both of you up to the very high probability of finding an alternate solution built mutually on the ideas expressed by both.
If you are skeptical about how well the fallibility principle works, the next time you are discussing, an issue be the first to admit your own fallibility and that you are willing to make concessions. The other person is more likely to follow with a confession of their own fallibility. If they don’t, then at least you will know the futility of further discussion about the issue.
Proverbs 28:25:
“He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat (or prosperous).”

To become prosperous in the eternal relationships we are building, how much wiser it is to approach the difficulties that arise with humility and the acknowledgment that we, as humans, are flawed. How much wiser it is to discuss the issues, admitting up front that we may not have the best solution and, with the spirit, create the solution together. It is not about winning, it is about arriving at the same place with each other.