Renegade Yogi

Proud to be wrong

Most people are constantly afraid of being wrong. I have been accused of being afraid of being wrong a lot–usually during an argument. I used to get upset by it–obviously, if I am defending my position so vehemently, I am not afraid of holding my position, regardless of whether it is right or wrong. It is the people who choose the easy, popular position who are afraid to even listen to my argument–they might be wrong.

But an insightful friend gave me a better explanation that made me realize what “afraid of being wrong” really meant. She said that it was just a cliché label that people have learned to put on a particular situation. That situation is when someone is defending their position–defense being a sign of fear–and the others think they are wrong–because it’s not their expected position. To tie the fear and wrongness together, they say “afraid to be wrong”.

Now, when someone says that I’m afraid to be wrong, I feel sorry for them. I try to politely excuse myself from the conversation. And I make a mental note not to have discussions with them any more.