Wrong
Daily Meditation #188–8/29/2022
Being “wrong” stings.
However, in many things, the concept of “right” and “wrong” is so subjective that any one argument can be “right” and “wrong” simultaneously.
But, “being right” isn’t important at all.
When you’re on your deathbed, what will matter to you?
Being surrounded by your friends and family, recounting stories and enjoying the time they have?
Or being able to say “You go find my old business partner Steve and make sure he remembers the time I was right about the direction we took things!”
Of course not.
Because being right is irrelevant.
However, we live with others.
Some of which we even love and care about, deeply, and there will always be risks we can become entrenched in our stupid crusades to be right.
Ask yourself:
Does the idea I could possibly be wrong upset me, emotionally?
Physically?
If you’re living on a plane of emotionality, these efforts to be right will only sow seeds of destruction with those who you love.
“But, they love me unconditionally!” you may exclaim.
This can be true and someone still chooses to remove you from their life.
The need to be right is poisonous to love and relationships.
Additionally, it is downright fatal to one on the journey of Eudaimonia…
How can one feel joyful and present minded if they feel beset on all sides by those questioning their “rightness?”
How can you be happy if you must be correct?
So, accept a level of openmindedness in your views and opinions.
You don’t need to bow down to every dissenting opinion, and you don’t even need to study all sides, but you also don’t need to be right!
Believe you may be right, but accept they may be right, too…
Or even better — be open to and excited to embrace the possibility you are wrong!
Our gut tells us to revel in victory, but defeat holds our lessons.
Follow for daily philosophical meditations.
These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Ancient Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”
