Test Everything; Hold Fast to the Good

A person who evidently had some kind of beef with me recently opined in a comment thread that I only argue because I care about being right.

At first, I wanted to defend myself.  But on further reflection, it seems to me that she's absolutely right.

After some fairly major shifts in my outlook on life, I've come to understand that I am not my beliefs or opinions.  Those things are just pieces of data I carry around in my head.  I can add to them, modify them, or remove them at any time, as better information and better understandings of reality require, so that (hopefully) I can remain honest in my notions and claims about the world.

There is a danger, it seems to me, in identifying oneself with one's beliefs or opinions.  If I do that, I might cling to my opinions and beliefs regardless of any relevant facts that might come to light.  I'd be likely to confuse defending those opinions and beliefs with defending myself (or a loved one), and that places entirely too much importance on the things that rattle around inside my little skull.

I do care about honesty, though.  I do care about whether my beliefs are true, because like anyone, I act on my beliefs, and I want to do so in a way that minimizes accidental injury or thoughtlessness.  Therefore, paradoxically, in order to ensure that I've eliminated as much error as possible, I will ruthlessly test any ideas I come across to see what I need to change in my idea box.

Keeping ideas to oneself and refusing to challenge them -- stubbornly clinging to the conviction that one must be right and should not be challenged -- isn't healthy.  It's not the sign of a strong person, nor of strong beliefs.  Insisting that one has the right to continue to be wrong will inevitably hurt myself and those I love.  And I don't want that.

I don't care for any path that involves deception and failure.  If I want to be right -- or, at least, as non-wrong as possible, which is all that the universe and logic seem to grant us -- I need to be willing to change my mind; and that means a continual willingness to evaluate, consider, and alter my ideas if necessary.  That means being ready to challenge my ideas and test their relevance and strength against others.

And I have to wonder at the kind of callousness and pride it takes to insist that one should not care about whether or not his ideas are true, and that this stance is at all loving to other people.

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