Being Correct Is More Important Than Being Correct
You are right until you are not.
We humans like to be right. It feels good. There's a rush to be had for being the smartest person in the room, or at least the group you are hanging out with. We like the feeling so much that we will fight for it... even if we're wrong. We will sink our teeth into what we believe to be right so deeply, so firmly, we might not let go even when faced with evidence that would (gasp) prove us to be incorrect. It's a swift kick to our… pride - the exact opposite of the feeling we get when we’re right. It’s best to simply not admit your wrong, right? Wrong! Being right for the sake of being right ain't right. In fact, it's wrong. Delusional might even be more accurate.
If you've spent any time around here at all you know that I talk about truth and honesty a lot. So much so that you would think happiness depends on it. Well it does. Kinda. The truth won't buy you happiness directly (sometimes the truth sucks), but you can't find happiness without it. It’s a transitive thing:
Happiness is a product of your decisions.
Good decisions require good information.
Good information is always the truth.
Hence truth is needed for happiness.
We should seek out truth at all costs. Even if it suuuUUUuuucks.
Finding the truth means you have to face up to your shortcomings. It means you have to accept harsh realities. It means you might just have to change. But that's what we're looking for. Right? We want ourselves (and each other) to strive to be better. To be better means taking a pretty serious and honest assessment of where we are right here and now, so we know from where we are going to strive. That requires truth.
Truth and honesty will put you on the proper springboard for whatever trajectory you want to launch yourself. That's why it is so important to be correct (knowing and understanding the truth) than being correct (thinking you're right). Whenever you find yourself thinking you're correct, check yourself to make sure you are, in fact, correct. Because if you're not, you're lying to yourself and you might just launch yourself into a wall.
Sun Tzu in The Art Of War said to be successful you need to know yourself as well as you know your enemy:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
-Sun Tzu
That requires quite a bit of honest self reflection. I mean, calling your enemy out on their faults is fun! Doing it to yourself hurts. And asking those who you trust to call you out on your bullshit can make for weird dinner conversations.
But remember, this is about being correct, not being correct.