Error, Denial and Acceptance
I've been holding off talking much about Being Wrong, the book by Kathryn Schulz that is rocking my world of late, but these words really struck me and I want to note and share them while I'm looking at the right page (246):
...as seen from the outside, denying error looks irrational, irresponsible, and ugly, while admitting it looks like courage, and like honor, and like grace...
Sometimes in life we won't know the answers and sometimes we will know them but not like them. Our minds, no matter how miraculous, are still limited. Our hearts, no matter how generous, can't always keep us from hurting other people. In other words, denial isn't just about refusing to accept the difficult, complicated, messy external world. Nor is acceptance just about accepting the facts. It is also, and most importantly, about accepting ourselves.
...as seen from the outside, denying error looks irrational, irresponsible, and ugly, while admitting it looks like courage, and like honor, and like grace...
Sometimes in life we won't know the answers and sometimes we will know them but not like them. Our minds, no matter how miraculous, are still limited. Our hearts, no matter how generous, can't always keep us from hurting other people. In other words, denial isn't just about refusing to accept the difficult, complicated, messy external world. Nor is acceptance just about accepting the facts. It is also, and most importantly, about accepting ourselves.