Nobody likes being wrong. When we were all children, we got told by adults when we were wrong endless amounts of times, because we were. Our knowledge base as a child was limited to our little world of toys, cartoons, second hand information we received from other children, and what we processed from children shows and school.Our ability to process things was still developing, so any facts that we did manage to pull usually were not quite true, or one dimensional just like our understanding ability. As you get older, your parameters of understanding, and processing get better, and you start to formulate your own way of thinking that becomes you. By the time you are an adult, you have the basics for how you think, and all that is left is life experience to push you over to a 3 dimensional point of view as you manage to tightrope between facts, and opinion. As we get more assertive in our assessment of things, and more confident in what we know, there is one thing that is absolutely certain to happen....There will come a time where you will be dead wrong. It won't feel good, or warm and fuzzy, and sometimes you will find out for yourself, and other times someone will tell you. But if you open your mouth to say things, or state points of knowledge that you think you have, there will be times where you will need correcting.
The good thing is that it is part of the learning process. I am certainly far from the holder of all knowledge, nor would I ever make that claim. I haven't met anyone that knows it all either, and neither will you because that person does not exist. It would be awfully hard to be the holder of all knowledge anyway, because where can you go from there? What a weight that would be.
The learning process of being wrong is that you take the new knowledge that you now have and move forward, in the ongoing adventure of building yourself. It's a bubble buster to be wrong, but once your bubble is burst, you are now free to advance. I know some folks who get very pissed off when they are proven wrong as if knowledge is a competition that they have a lock on winning. They will even go to ridiculous lengths to prove that they are actually right by some back door explanation, and rationalization. All in the effort of protecting a bruised ego, and some stupid pride that they carry with them like some knight's lance.
In my opinion, if you are wrong, why would you NOT want to know? In life it's truly nice to know when you are good, and right about something, but it is even more important to know when you are wrong. If not, then how can you fix anything, and make yourself better, and grow in learning? And why would you not want to admit when you are wrong? There is so much weight off of one's shoulders when they say, "Boy I messed that information up. I'm glad I know now." It truly is a relief because you can move on happy that you have new and proper info to work with, and process, and you won't look like an idiot to folks as you spew bad information obliviously. Admit that you're wrong and the world forgives. Stick to your guns even though facts are right in your face, and people will dismiss everything you say from that point forward. it's always easy for those folks that don't risk anything and say nothing to be right all of the time. Take a risk and speak.
Being wrong is a symptom of growth, and learning, and both are cool with me. I appreciate it when people tell me I'm wrong because that means they feel comfortable enough with me to tell me, and that aspect of who I am makes me feel better about myself than being right. And if someone tells me I'm wrong about even the smallest thing, I can learn from it. And that's life.
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