I don’t like that word for what we do here Steve. I prefer to call it arguing. (in the traditional sense). 
Steve, the day you stop commenting here, will never come. So, we’re in this together, I guess. haha
Maybe you don’t need to know 5000 or 10000 words. Start with 1000 and get fluent with these 1000 words and expressions from these 1000 words, as this video explains: Thinking in a Foreign Language? - YouTube
Hape, I watched that video a couple of days ago! I agree with the idea of being “fluent” with what you actively know. On the one hand, building upon your knowledge base, be it 1000 active/automatic words or more, is a great way to grow in your target language(s). This is great for speaking. On the other hand, I also think that it’s important to deposit in one’s vocabulary bank thousands of words. Like Steve has said countless times, it’s important to be able to understand the language being spoken. For example, even if I am only able to use say 500 words in conversation, I should understand three times that much.
Ya i agree there has got to be a balance, a sort of middle ground, in there between Passive Vs. Active Vocabulary