WHY WE ALWAYS THINK WE ARE RIGHT?
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
As I see it, we think that we are always right because it’s in our genes. We unconsciously, without even realizing it, always try to be right; so that we prove to ourselves and the people around us that we belong to “the survival of the fittest” group. This is a Darwinian evolutionary pattern that is ingrained to our genes. We can’t help it, unless we become aware of it, and try correcting it with our will power.
That is why our perception of ourselves is subjective and biased. We always see things the way we are and from our own self-interest. We always defend our views vehemently to try to prove that we are right. We know that being right is a sign of mental strength. In modern times, only mentally strong people belong to “the survival of the fittest” group.
Sometimes similar thinking, similar mental process and behaviors can be seen in people with inferiority complex, as a compensation mechanism for their feeling of inferiority and low self – esteem. Inferiority complex is not a mental illness but a psychological feeling and aberration which could be caused by many factors. People with inferiority complex always complaint about things, they always see the negative aspects of events, and they are very sensitive to any criticism.
On occasion, feeling inferior is normal and very human. It could be a strong motivating factor to try harder and to do better.
Chronic and severe form inferiority complex could lead to mental illness like GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) or depression. In these cases, professional help is needed to overcome the inferiority complex.
What happens if our mental attitude of “always being right” continues?
I believe it could easily create several problems for the beholder. Nobody wants to be with “Mr. or Miss Right” all the time. It could also create unnecessary heated discussions and conflicts. Pretty soon loneliness, without having any real friends could set in.
So how could we correct this mental state and attitude becomes very important. We should be mature enough to know ourselves. We should know that as people we are all different and, we all have different ideas about things. We should accept that everybody is entitled their opinions. We should be tolerant of different opinions and ideas. We should try to develop a sense of self – awareness that nobody is perfect and, nobody could always be right. The best idea could come from the clash of different ideas. We should keep our words soft during any discussions because on some occasions, we might have to swallow them. Best of all, we should remember that to be nice is often more important than to be right.
