Being wrong right

Being Wrong Right

Better to be wrong with an open ear
Than to be right, never bent to hear.
The path that’s worn by prideful tread
Leads not forward, but back instead.

I’ve been mistaken, more than twice,
But found admission a better price
Than building walls too proud to fail,
And missing truth to thoughts gone stale.

The wiser ones don’t claim to know
But let new winds come in to blow.
So bolt no doors shut too fast,
Leave on a light for what might pass.

It is far worse to be stuck in your thinking than to be wrong. In fact, being wrong is okay. The truth is, I’m wrong a lot. So are you. The sooner we get comfortable with that, the better. Get good at being wrong. Recognize it, own it, grow from it.

Digging in and refusing to learn is where growth stops. I want to live in a world where changing your mind is seen as a strength. Where people can say, “I was wrong,” without shame. Not admitting to being wrong is being wrong twice. Much better record to admit it and at least be right about that.

Too many people live in camps of thought, locked in by loyalty to one idea or group. Being open to being wrong is how we begin to understand each other as some truth is universal and some is more local. Admission doesn’t have to completely shut out the old thoughts, it just welcomes the new ones.

Instead, be clear. Be curious. Being wrong doesn’t have to be a locked room. There is a door and it opens to learning. It leads toward being right for the right reasons and that’s really cool.