I recently watched this Ted Talk on being wrong.
I found it really powerful as a teacher and a learner. Why do we value being right so highly? Wouldn’t our relationships with other people be a little bit easier if we walked into conversations assuming we were probably wrong? Would that allow us to really listen to what the other person is saying, instead of trying to frame it through a lens that makes us feel “right”? Or do I have this wrong?
As teachers, we often tell our students that it is okay to be wrong – making mistakes is part of the learning process. But do we really value their wrongness? Do we celebrate their mistakes or do we quietly show them the error of their ways? What would happen if we did celebrate it – what would that look like, feel like?
But perhaps the need to be right is essential to learning. Without it, would we give up more easily and stop trying to solve the problem? Being right is a satisfying feeling; it reassures us that our world is still a place we can negotiate with some confidence, there are things we can expect and predict. Until something goes wrong…
If what Kathryn says is right and we probably spend most of our time in the wrong and just don’t know it, maybe we should all just acknowledge the likelihood that we are wrong and begin each day with a forgiving heart and an open mind.
I confess, I’m unsure. I’ve probably got it wrong.