After reviewing the TED.com website, I reviewed the speech by Kathryn Schulz entitled On Being Wrong.
In her speech, she spoke about the reasons why we are so afraid of being wrong and how we view other people’s perception when we are found to be wrong. During a road trip, she spoke about how she mistakenly took a picnic table sign as a foreign symbol. When corrected, she began to think about why she felt so badly about being wrong. Why did she feel like being wrong meant that something was wrong with her??
The audience was deeply engaged after recognizing that we have all been wrong at some point and that our being wrong has not always been a bad thing…we have all experienced instances where being “wrong” was to our advantage. It can create an excitement of sorts…
Kathryn expounded upon why we as individuals are so stuck on having to be right. What is it about being deemed right that makes us feel so superior or being deemed wrong that makes us feel so inferior? Her concept is very interesting because this perception of ourselves, whether right or wrong affects us personally and professionally. Even more so, others perception of us directly affects us since, most times we are unaware that we are wrong until other people point it out. When we realize that we are wrong or are perceived to be wrong, we immediately either look at ourselves in a less favorable light or we simply become arrogant and assume that we are right and that other people are incorrect. Looking at being wrong can cause self-doubt and leave us feeling badly. Or, to ease our egos, we assume that we are right and that those who don’t believe that we are right are susceptible to one of three assumptions:
The Assumption of Ignorance
The Assumption of Idiocy
The Assumption of Evil
Kathryn’s speech made me begin to think about how being wrong can be a learning experience; after all, it is part of the human experience. No one goes through life without being wrong either in perception or in fact. Why should we be ashamed of being wrong? Why not use this as a learning experience?!
We see the world as we choose and this benefits us as people; our ability to see the world differently should keep us all from being embarrassed if we are wrong. This allows us to be humble and meek when we are wrong and to learn from those experiences where we are wrong. The greatest lesson in life!!
So, have I ever been wrong?! Why, yes…and I am proud to say so!Kathryn Schulz: On Being Wrong
No comments:
Post a Comment