|
THE WRONG WAY TO BE RIGHT
In the mood for a TED talk? Seeking a lesson in humility to replace self-flagellation? Check out journalist-philosopher Kathryn Schulz' entertaining and insightful musings, "On Being Wrong." Schulz wrote a compulsively readable book on the topic, too, if you need more of what she dubs "wrongology"—the science of screwing up and not realizing it. Why is it so hard to know when our thinking is awry? Schulz' answer is surprising: because being wrong feels exactly the same as being right. We're as cocksure in error as we are when our facts are ruler-straight.
Our generation has lost the imperative of honesty. Our society is content to imagine alternative facts not defined as fiction. Under these circumstances, pondering "wrongology" is a tonic. To be frank, there are times when you and I speak or act wrongly and know the deception in our bones. But there are many more occasions in which we're obliged to eat a generous slice of humble pie after clinging to a wrong perception far longer than we should have, until the branch we've held onto breaks along with our ignorance. Being wrong in public is painful and embarrassing. Most of us would love to find a way to avoid it.
And there is one. The ancient spiritual masters all name it: humility. Jesus recommends we say yes and no and nothing further. Insisting on omniscience in all matters is the quickest way to humiliation. In the end, being right can never be as important as uncovering the truth together.
—Alice Camille,
reprinted with permission from TrueQuest Communications
|
