Dear diary, something genuinely rare happened today, properly, a colleague and I finally agreed on a specific interpretive point after literally years of respectfully but persistently disagreeing about the exact same nineteenth century text.
I wrote the whole reconciliation up properly in a piece on exactly how a colleague and I finally agreed on something after years of respectfully disagreeing about this exact same text, neither of us quite sure what actually shifted, and I think today’s agreement matters considerably more than the specific interpretive point itself.
What we actually finally agreed on
A reading of a considerably ambiguous passage, properly, one we’d each defended with genuine conviction across multiple conference panels and at least one increasingly heated departmental seminar over the past several years.
I think neither of us can fully explain what shifted, honestly, beyond a general sense that new evidence we’d both separately encountered had quietly worn away at our respective positions until they finally met somewhere in the middle.
What I’m doing with this hard-won agreement
Writing it up properly, jointly, purely because I think readers deserve to see exactly how two scholars who genuinely disagreed for years actually arrived at common ground, rather than simply presenting the final position as though it had always been obvious.
What I’m telling my other colleagues about this whole process
That genuine intellectual disagreement, sustained properly over years, is considerably more valuable than premature consensus, and that today’s agreement feels earned precisely because it took this long to actually arrive.
What I actually think changed my colleague’s mind
Not any single decisive piece of evidence, honestly, but the slow accumulation of small details neither of us had originally weighted properly, each one shifting our respective positions by degrees too small to notice until they’d travelled considerably further than either of us realised.
What I’m doing to properly mark this agreement
Suggesting we co-author the actual piece together, deliberately, rather than each publishing separately, since I think the joint authorship itself models something genuinely valuable about how scholarly disagreement can eventually resolve.
What I actually think this whole experience says about the field generally
That sustained, patient disagreement between colleagues who genuinely respect each other produces considerably more rigorous scholarship than either premature consensus or entrenched, unmoving opposition ever manages to on its own.
What I’m doing with the years of our actual correspondence about this disagreement
Keeping every email properly archived, honestly, purely because I suspect the record of exactly how our positions shifted over time will genuinely interest readers considerably more than the final agreed conclusion alone.
I think there’s something genuinely worth celebrating in a friendship that survived years of pointed academic disagreement without ever actually souring into anything personal, a testament to the specific kind of respect that made this whole eventual agreement possible in the first place.
Goodnight, diary. One text, two scholars, one hard-won agreement considerably more valuable for the years of honest disagreement that came before it.
I think I’ll email him properly tonight, before sleep, purely to say how much I’ve actually enjoyed this specific disagreement over the years, regardless of how it eventually resolved.
Sleep well, diary. Tomorrow’s co-authored draft already forming in my head, considerably more exciting to write than either of our separate, previously entrenched positions ever were.
Lights off now, properly, one genuine agreement finally reached, one collaborative piece already quietly taking shape, one friendship considerably richer for having survived years of honest, respectful disagreement.
Goodnight properly, truly, one hard-won agreement settling in for the night, tomorrow’s collaboration already something I’m genuinely looking forward to more than almost any solo project currently on my desk.
I keep thinking about how strange it feels, honestly, to suddenly agree with someone I’ve spent years positioning myself against, a small identity shift that took me considerably longer to notice than the actual scholarly change did.
Rest well, diary. One collaborative future opening up, considerably brighter than the solitary disagreement it’s replacing.
Bed now, properly, one genuine agreement settling in for the night, tomorrow’s joint writing session already something I’m quietly looking forward to considerably more than I expected.
I think this whole reversal has genuinely humbled me, honestly, in the best possible way, a reminder that even entrenched scholarly positions can shift given enough time, respect, and the specific patience neither of us gave up on despite years of visible disagreement.
Goodnight, truly, properly, for real this time, one text, two scholars, one considerable friendship stronger tonight than it has ever been across every single year of respectful disagreement.
I think tomorrow’s actual writing session will feel genuinely different, honestly, two voices finally working together rather than circling each other across separate publications, and I’m properly curious what that collaboration actually sounds like on the page.
I think, honestly, we’ll probably still disagree on smaller points along the way, and I find that genuinely comforting rather than worrying, proof that neither of us has simply surrendered our own considered judgment in favour of easy harmony, genuinely, properly, honestly, truly.
Sleep well, properly, honestly, truly, for the actual last time tonight.