Why It’s Better to be Human Than to Be Right
Everybody is wrong except you, right?
“Sometimes it’s better to be kind than to be right. We do not need an intelligent mind that speaks, but a patient heart that listens.” — Gautama Buddha
Our mind loves being right.
A student went to his meditation teacher and said, “My meditation is horrible! I feel distracted; I can’t focus, I’m constantly falling asleep. It’s just horrible!”
“It will pass,” the teacher said.
A week later, the student came back to his teacher. “My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so focused, so peaceful!”
“It will pass,” the teacher replied.
We get stuck in the desire to be right. And expect things to be perfect. However, things change over time. That’s the teaching of this zen story. How does it feel to be wrong? It doesn’t.
The realization that we are wrong is what actually hurts.
Being right is overrated, especially when the price you pay for it, is being unkind, impatient and insensitive — you forget to be human.
