Debate

IMPERFECTLY PERFECT PERSON

"In a life of regrets and missed opportunities, I, an introverted soul merely existing, found unexpected salvation in a girl battling anxiety—a twist that rewrote my entire story."

Opening:

The auditorium buzzed with excitement as the audience settled into their seats, eager to witness the debate that would determine the leadership of the new club. The stage was set with two tables facing the audience, each occupied by a team of two members, ready to present their case.

Rena and I sat side by side, the weight of the moment pressing on our shoulders as we prepared for what was ahead.

"Are you ready, Rena?" I asked, glancing at her.

She nodded, though her expression betrayed a hint of nerves. "I am, but I can't help feeling a little nervous."

"That's normal," I reassured her. "Remember what I said last time about who your real enemy is?"

"Lazy people?" she guessed.

"Close, but not quite," I replied with a small smile. "It's your ideal version of yourself. Don't try to be perfect out there—just focus on being the proper version of you. That's more than enough."

Rena took a deep breath, her eyes meeting mine with renewed determination. "Alright, I can do that."

The moderator, a composed figure with an air of authority, stepped forward to the center of the stage, capturing the audience's attention.

"Welcome to the debate for the leadership of our new club," the moderator announced, their voice resonating clearly across the room. "We have two teams, each consisting of two members, who will present their visions for the club and answer your questions."

Wilson, one of the senior members, rose from his seat with an air of confidence, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Thank you all for being here," he began, his voice strong and sincere. "We're all here because we care about this club and want to see it thrive. Leadership is crucial in making that happen."

He paused, letting his words sink in, the room falling into a focused silence.

"But here's the thing," Wilson continued, his tone now carrying a serious edge. "Leadership isn't just about having great ideas or passion. It's about executing those ideas, making tough decisions, and uniting people toward a common goal. That's where experience and maturity become essential."

Wilson spoke with the conviction of someone who had weathered the storms of leadership. "I've seen it time and time again—a junior leader with a great vision but lacking the practical know-how to bring it to life. That's not to say juniors aren't capable—it's just the reality. We seniors have been around longer, we've learned from our mistakes, and we've honed the skills needed to lead effectively."

He scanned the audience, making eye contact with several members as if inviting them to share in his perspective. "So, I'm not here to undermine our opponents' capabilities. But I am here to emphasize that we seniors bring something invaluable to the table—experience, maturity, and a proven track record of success. Let's not take unnecessary risks with our club's future. Let's choose leaders who can truly deliver."

As Wilson finished, the audience responded with a round of applause, a few members nodding in agreement. He returned to his seat, exuding a calm confidence.

Rena stood up next. Her demeanor was confident, though a hint of nervousness flickered in her eyes. "Thank you, Wilson, for your thoughts," she began, her voice steady but carrying an undertone of determination. "However, I'd like to offer a different perspective. While experience and maturity are valuable, they aren't the only factors that define effective leadership. Research shows that younger leaders often bring fresh ideas, creativity, and innovation. They're more likely to take risks, challenge the status quo, and adapt to changing circumstances."

Wilson, sitting across from Rena, listened attentively, his brow slightly furrowed. When Rena paused, he seized the opportunity to interject. "Rena, while I agree that innovation and risk-taking are important, I must respectfully disagree with your view that seniors are complacent and stagnant. Many seniors have spent years honing their skills, learning from mistakes, and developing a deep understanding of the club's dynamics."

Rena didn't flinch. She was ready for this. "Wilson, I'm surprised you're emphasizing tradition and experience. Our club was formed only a few weeks ago! We're still shaping our history and need leaders who can help us create a bold, innovative future."

Wilson hesitated, his voice growing slightly defensive. "Well, I... I think we should focus on building a strong foundation before trying to innovate and take risks."

Rena seized the moment. "But Wilson, that's exactly my point – we can't build a strong foundation by repeating what's been done before. We need to think outside the box and explore new approaches."

Wilson's confidence wavered. "But what if those new approaches fail?"

Rena, undeterred, smiled softly. "Then we learn from our mistakes and try again. That's how we grow and improve. I'd rather take calculated risks and innovate than play it safe and stagnate."

Wilson looked down at his hands, his certainty diminishing. "But... but experience and tradition are important too..."

Rena leaned forward slightly, her tone gentle yet firm. "Wilson, we've established that experience and tradition have their place, but they shouldn't hold us back from innovating and improving. We need to balance honoring our past with embracing our future."

Rena spoke up, her gaze steady and filled with quiet intensity. "There should be innovation and risk-taking. As a founding member of this club, I've seen firsthand how much energy and creativity our members bring to the table. Let's harness that and create something truly special."

Wilson looked up, his nerves showing more now. "I...I think we should be cautious and not try to change too much too quickly."

Rena, catching Wilson's unease, smiled, her voice warm but firm. "But Wilson, that's exactly the problem. We can't just play it safe and expect to succeed. We need to be bold, take risks, and innovate."

The audience, sensing the tension, began to murmur softly. A few moments later, they broke into spontaneous applause, appreciating Rena's confidence and clear vision.

The moderator, with a slight smile, spoke up. "Thank you, Rena. I think that's all the time we have for today. Let's thank our debaters for their thoughtful arguments."

The audience responded with enthusiastic applause, the room filled with the sound of clapping hands and appreciative murmurs.

The debate resumed with the moderator addressing Wilson. "Wilson, would you like to respond to Rena's points?"

Wilson nodded, taking a moment to compose himself. "Yes, thank you." He shifted his focus toward Rena. "Rena, while you've made some compelling arguments, I think it's time to address the elephant in the room." He paused, letting the tension build before continuing. "Your partner, Ashan, has been eerily silent throughout this debate. In fact, he's done nothing but nod and smile. Is he even capable of leading this club?"

Rena looked taken aback by the sudden shift in tone, her voice faltering slightly as she began to respond. "Well, Wilson, I think Ashan has been letting me take the lead because..."

Wilson didn't let her finish. "Because he can't think for himself? Because he's too lazy to even participate in the debate?"

Senior 2, sitting next to Wilson, seized the opportunity to join in. "Yeah, we've seen Ashan in class. He's always sleeping or slacking off. How can someone like that be expected to lead our club?"

Rena's face flushed with frustration. "That's not fair! Ashan is a genius, and he's been working hard behind the scenes..."

Before she could say more, I, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, my voice calm but confident. "Actually, Rena, let me take this one."

Rena turned to him, surprised by his sudden intervention. "Oh, okay..."

Rena has done far better than I expected, but I can't let her do all the work. Besides, Wilson seems to have taken the bait, so I might as well finish him off, I thought.

I straightened in my seat, addressing Wilson directly. "Wilson, you're right. I have been quiet throughout this debate. But that's because I've been letting Rena shine. And she's proven herself to be an exceptional leader. But what's interesting is that you're attacking me for not being active, yet you're the ones who are trying to hold us back with your outdated ideas."

Wilson's confidence wavered. "What do you mean?"

I leaned forward slightly, a small smile playing on my lips. "You've shown that Rena is an exceptional leader, capable of thinking on her feet and defending our position. And yet, you're still trying to say that juniors can't lead? It's hypocritical."

Senior 2 tried to interject. "But Ashan, we were just trying to..."

I cut him off, his tone sharp. "No, no, no. You've made our point for us. Rena has shown herself to be talented and capable, and you've only reinforced that. So, there's no need to continue this debate any longer. We've have already won."

The audience erupted into applause, clearly impressed by my decisive rebuttal. I waited for the noise to die down before continuing, his voice carrying a note of finality. "And let's be real, if Rena was able to corner you so much that you had to resort to personal attacks, then that just shows how much more capable she is than you. I mean, I've been quiet this whole debate, but Rena has been crushing it. And that's exactly what we're trying to say—juniors can lead, and they can do it better than you."

I let the applause continue for a moment before i spoke again, this time with a challenging edge to my voice. "And that brings me to my final point. We're talking about a computer club here, and yet, I've seen more knowledge of technology from Rena and me than I've seen from you two." i paused, letting my words sink in. "I mean, can you even explain the differences between monolithic architecture and microservices architecture? Or how about the trade-offs between using a relational database versus a NoSQL database?"

Wilson's confidence crumbled further as he stammered, "Uh...well...monolithic architecture is...uh...when everything is connected..."

I smile widened, clearly enjoying the moment. "Oh, that's cute. You think you can lead a computer club without even knowing the basics of software architecture? Well, let me ask you this: can you write a simple RESTful API using Node.js and Express?"

Senior 2, now visibly uncomfortable, attempted to answer. "Uh...I think so...but it would take me a while..."

I didn't miss a beat, pulling out a laptop and opening a text editor. "Oh, really? Well, let's see it then." i gestured to the screen. "Go ahead, write it. And make sure it includes authentication and authorization using JSON Web Tokens."

Wilson glanced nervously at the laptop before stammering, "Uh...I...I don't have time for this..."

I leaned back in my chair, my smile never fading. "Ah, I see. So you can't even write a simple API. That's embarrassing."

Wilson and Senior 2 exchanged glances, both at a loss for words. The room was silent except for the soft clicking of the laptop keys as i continued to type.

Finally, Senior 2, in a last-ditch effort to salvage their argument, spoke up, his voice shaky. "Okay, fine. But before we concede, I have a question for you, Ashan. Can you explain the concept of homomorphic encryption and how it's used in secure data processing?"

I didn't hesitate. "Ah, yes. Homomorphic encryption is a form of encryption that allows computations to be performed on ciphertext without decrypting it first. It's used in secure data processing to enable computations on encrypted data without compromising its confidentiality."

I continued, my tone steady and confident. "And, as an example, you can use the Paillier cryptosystem, which is a probabilistic asymmetric algorithm that supports homomorphic properties, allowing you to perform additions and multiplications on encrypted data."

Wilson, clearly out of his depth, asked hesitantly, "Uh...what's the Paillier cryptosystem?"

My smile turned into a knowing grin as well i replied, "Exactly. I didn't think you'd know what that means." I turned to the audience, addressing them directly. "It's clear that Rena and I are the only ones here who truly understand the technical aspects of computer science."

The audience responded with another round of applause, clearly swayed by my display of knowledge and confidence.

I stood up, my final words carrying a sense of inevitability. "I think we've made our point. We're the clear winners here."