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What We Miss When We’re Trying to be Right
Something happened to me last year that left me feeling betrayed. I felt that my now former friend was unable to take my emotions and perspectives as part of their own. However, I was obsessed with ensuring that my reason for leaving the friendship was correct.
I would take their opinion and then argue why mine was right (or more right) than theirs. I could acknowledge that my anger was because of me. But I still felt that I had to prove that my leaving that friendship was the right thing to do.
This was a foolish undertaking for the simple reason that right and wrong are totally subjective. It is based on one’s values and (sometimes to a lesser extent) one’s feelings.
The political climate in various countries around the world such as the Brazil, Venezuela, Britain and the U.S. trick us into thinking that there’s an absolute and objective right choice. We look at our neighbour who believes the complete opposite of what we do and struggle to not hate them. “They’re a part of the problem!” you say to yourself, while they say the same thing about you.
I look at the premiers of those countries I listed above and I personally think that Bolsonaro, Maduro, May and Trump overall miss the mark, sometimes to worrisome extents, other times to hilarious ends. Is my opinion more important than someone who…
