used to be you could count on me to take a dead horse which had been beaten half to jelly, grab it by the nostrils, and drag it around thrashing it for a while longer.
used to be you could count on my to get into an argument and just Argue, whether any point was being made or not, whether anything related to some earlier point of not ... I won't say "senselessly bicker" but some others might ....
But I got old, and I got tired. I lost my edge and couldn't get it back. I was afraid there wouldn't be anyone to come along and do the job of belaboring every pointless phrase, contesting everything just to be contrary, and criticizing everything everyone said whether it made no sense or perfect sense.
Now, at last, my fears are allayed .....