To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
Only the weak friends are pushed away by debate. I'm almost always on the losing side of a debate with my friends but I've never pushed them away. They've likewise never done so for me either. None of the good ones anyway. <_<