Almost all of us know a person like this. The one guy/girl who always knows better and wants to have things done in a certain way. The kind of person who doesn't like compromises or admitting that someone else might have a valid point. We all know how frustrating it is working or even living with these kind of people. Some of us might even recognize ourselves from the description.
"I'm right, you're wrong"
In the modern society, things are often very "black and white" for a lot of people. A is correct, therefore B must be incorrect. It's almost like "Right" is an on-off switch with no positions between the two extremes. But is it really that simple?
The world we live in has multiple dimensions, so how could something as abstract as the concept of being right be a one-dimensional dot surrounded by "wrong"? I don't think it is. The way I see it is that "being right" is a completely subjective concept that depends on where you have lived, how your parents have raised you and what you have learnt in your life among many other things.
Am I right or do I just think so?
Since only some things(if none) in the world can be proven to be absolutely correct, we need to judge the rest based on our past experiences and what we know. So if we all have a different knowledge base and past experiences, how could the same thing be correct for everyone?
People often tend to forget this when arguing with eachother. The other person saying they're right might actually think so, since they have no reason to think otherwise. They might have a completely logical thought process behind their opinion that's based on their past experiences. And they will probably think that you're wrong just like you think the opposite. So, what makes your opinion better than your opponent's?
It's all a matter of perspective. If you're on the left, you say 8 and in the right you say 7 blocks.
Image credit: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:False_perspective.svg
The people who think they're always right
These are the kind of people that are only capable of seeing things in black and white, with their opinion being superior of course. When you can't see the situation through the eyes of someone else, you can't think that someone else may have a better point of view or a more appropriate way of doing something. Usually it is a pain in the ass to talk with these kind of people, since it means either ending up in an argument with the person or keeping your mouth shut and just nodding your head.
I'm a peaceful guy, so usually I just end up being quiet and keeping my opinions to myself, which is not always the best strategy. But you know, even if I gave my opinion, the opponent would probably just keep pushing his/her own until I gave up. There's a finnish proverb that translates to something like:"When banging your head against a wall, the smarter one usually gives up first". I see those situations from the wall's point of view. The other guy is gonna keep banging his head, it's easier for everyone if I give up first. I know these people will never learn if no one confronts them, but I hope you with more perseverance will do that for us all.
So, that's it for today. Keep your opinions, but try to take in account that someone else might be right as well. Like everytime, this is just my opinion so feel free to disagree. Until next time. Peace.
-R