I was scrolling through Facebook a couple days ago, and I saw a picture that said something along the lines of "it is okay to be wrong." That made me start to think about how wrong has become something of a bad word now. Of course, nobody wants to be wrong. It gives a sense of defeat and sometimes mockery that no one really enjoys. Lately, in the past few years, it seems that being wrong has grown into a crime punishable by death. So much so, that people will argue and defend a wrong point just to not be proven wrong, but why? What really happens when you are wrong?
Being wrong does not really harm anyone, except for maybe a little stain on someone's pride. However, the stain on pride often leads to a greater sense of humility, which is a far greater thing to than pride. More importantly, being wrong helps you learn and grow as a person, which is never a bad thing. Yes, it is upsetting to be proven wrong, but, the second you move past that feeling, you are able to leave that conversation a little more educated. You have grown as a person in those few minutes, which is what everyone wants to do at some point in their life. Improving yourself and becoming better, more educated and more understanding can't happen if you are always right. Just like Master Yoda says in "The Last Jedi": "The best teacher failure is." Being wrong helps you learn and become less ignorant.
I am not sure when the stigma of being wrong started. I seemed to only notice among society in the last few years, but in all honesty, it has probably been around forever. Recently, however, I think it has been made more prevalent. As entertainment and communication have become something everyone has access to through all the social media platforms, it seems that the line between fact and opinion has been blurred. A group a people say one movie is amazing, and anyone who says they don't like it is simply wrong. That is not how it works. A person is entitled to any opinion they want, and they are neither right nor wrong. On the other hand, if someone says 2 + 2 = 4, no one can say they are wrong because there is factual evidence to prove it.
I think it is this blur of the line between fact and opinion that has led so many people to defend any point they have regardless if it is wrong or not. If people are told their opinions are wrong and must always defend them, then they will feel they have to defend anything they say even if they are arguing against correct facts. That is not the mentality anyone should have when they are discussing anything. People should never be afraid to stand by their opinions, but also be open and welcome new information if they are confronted with it. In the end, being wrong helps to make you right in the future.
