The desire to be right

"Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is." Thomas S. Szasz

In the beginning of the Iraq war there were very few dissenters. The dissenters were silenced, as in many wars, by charges from the pro war group that dissenters were unpatriotic.

Throughout history leaders have not wanted to hear bad news. Tyrants have killed the messengers if the news was bad. In modern politics, if a messenger disagrees with the leaders, that messenger will be smeared and discredited. Leaders like to be right. We all like to be right. Why is it so important for us to be right?

If someone is right all the time they will earn respect and power. If someone is wrong all the time they will lose respect and power. It is in our best interest to be right, therefore we will argue and fight for our position. Tyrants lose power if they are wrong, hence they silent any dissent. If they can dupe their followers into believing tyrants are always right, the tyrants retain power.
This is why people cling to their opinions. Deep inside their id they are aware that to be wrong is to be put in a position of weakness. You see this in many social debates. Attack the messenger, but never debate the data.

Try to imagine your life if you had no desire, even the desire to be right. The desire for our self interest and our self love will create a life of desperation and misery. To have no desires, or self love, will lead to a life of peace and harmony.

Charles Tolleson