The Undiscovered Country

Tell Me, Do I Got Boogers On My Face?

No one likes to be wrong. No one likes people showing them they're wrong. Especially not in front of others or on a public forum such as Facebook.

Which is why when I see -- for instance -- a meme that is obviously incorrect posted by multiple people, I don't mention the specific meme, and certainly don't point fingers at the people who posted it (unless they don't mind said mistake being pointed out, and I usually know who they are). I instead make a general statement about how said meme is not to be trusted, and why. People often get it without having to feel insulted or embarrassed.

At least that's true some of the time . . . but that's getting off topic.

I am one of the latter. Does it suck being wrong? Absolutely. It's especially -- I wouldn't say humiliating, because I don't feel humiliated. Perhaps embarrassed is a better word -- when it happens around a group of people who also see how wrong I was. At the same time, when my wrongness is pointed out, I can be assured I'll not be wrong a second time with the same erroneous information.

Many of you know I'm a Professional Land Surveyor (to those that don't, now you do). Like the medical field, they call what I do the "practice" of land surveying. The main reason is, even though I know my field, I make mistakes. The last one was a doozy that my company is still working toward fixing (well over $200,000 later).

Because of that, I have an extreme desire to know when I'm wrong as soon as I make a mistake (and not after two years and an entire apartment complex is 90% completed before discovering part of the development is built on someone else's property).

I even thank our clients profusely when they point out an error. Because when I know of the error, I can fix it without causing lawsuits and forcing my employer to use its liability insurance -- which invariably goes up and decreases company profit.

As to the former, unfortunately no matter how many precautions I take to not point fingers, someone takes offense, and infers that I'm calling them stupid and showing myself as somehow smarter and better. I'm human enough to admit I like being right. I have a healthy pride that has more than once caused me trouble. Maybe the issue with the meme above was one such instance, however subconscious.

But it's never meant to be at the expense of someone else. It's not so much I like being right in the end, but that other people can also learn, just as I like -- and need -- to learn.

It's like having a big green booger on my face. I would want someone to tell me it's there so I'm not walking around all day with it wagging its gross little fingers at everyone who looks at me. Now that would be humiliating.

So if I'm wrong about something, tell me. I may not like it, but it's necessary if I am to grow into a decent human being. I will always be grateful in knowing I can trust you to tell me the truth and give me the facts, no matter how ugly and stupid it might make me look at the time.

Better to be wrong for a moment than wrong for a lifetime.