Would you rather be right or happy?

Post Reply New Topic

Where's the fun in being right? that's my question

I like to correct people so...

But I'll buy the little girl an ice cream for being so gullible. Obviously some nasty older child told her about the moon-cheese myth.

It depends on the age of your little girl if she is above 7, i would tell her the truth. I know, it's mean, but what is meaner? Making her cry a little NOW, or letting the children at her school do it for you when they discover how ridiculous her idea of the moon is? if she is under 7, i would probably follow her lead and invent more cheese related stories about the moon.
both relate to "happy", i don't want to upset her, but who wants a little kid to get bullied?

The remote possibility that NASA could be lying about the moon can only make me happy

Happiness through delusions isn't happiness at all.

Being wrong is hard to swallow. Thats why I think the question is tricky; you assume that being wrong = being happy.

If I would be wrong repeatedly I would have to reconsider if my brain is working right/if I might be a bit stupid, but that goes for a long period of time and I think in this case I would be unhappy (even though I tend to think stupidity is somehow connected to happyness).
If you mean single situations I would rather be right because the opposite is annoying, but still; being right is not all I need to be happy, it doesnt even affect me as much as the opposite.
Do you mean that happiness is archived by not getting irritated in the moment when you realize you're wrong?

would you rather be right?
or would you rather just be happy?

would you like to have sight?
or would you like a comfy nappy?

do you wanna see the light?
or would you rather groove in gappy
apprehension of it all
and giggle as you fall
into the same old trappy wappy....of temporary happiness.

right is might and
right is the sight
of those who seek what's real

wrong is the song
that is played on the gong
of ignorant appeal.

-------------
god that is bad but i have no pride so i will post it.

Good question. This is something that I come across alot with my parents. Mostly they would rather be right than yeild to the other's opinion and keep the peace.

My sister is different. You know that she disagrees with you when she goes quiet and from her point of view the conversation is over. She would rather be happy (happiness in her case comes from keeping the peace and not getting angry with someone and not having them get angry at her) than get into an argument for no reason other than to prove that she is right.

I used to argue to the bitter end when I felt or knew that I was right, but I slowly realised that sort of attitude makes a person very unappealing to be around and I have mellowed with time.

Another variation of the question could be: would you rather be right or would you prefer that other people find you pleasant to be with?

I have the right to be happy.

I've just had another thought. If I was standing up for something I believed in like fighting for a right, say along the lines of Suffaragettes fighting for Women's rights, that sort of thing, I reckon I would rather be right than give up my belief.

Realistically, I know I would rather be right, even though I also know I would have less grief if I chose to be happy instead.

(But in the example given, I would not choose to argue with a small child.)

I would rather be right, but only if I am actually right. I don't want to win an argument by shouting the other person down. I have seen people harass and berate others until finally their opponent gives up and so they feel they have won an argument. I've been guilty of this myself and I have to keep working at thinking carefully and addressing opposing views in a spirit of seeking the truth and refining ideas rather than clubbing others over the head with argument.

I still have moments where I cringe with the memory of something I said. These are usually when I have stated something that I later discovered was wrong. In many cases, no one called me on it. They may have never realized I was wrong at all. But the fact that I know I was wrong really bothers me. If I can go back and explain my error and correct the mistake, I will feel much better, but sometimes that is not possible.

I do try to get along with people. I really dislike conflict so I tend to avoid direct argument. It can be difficult when people express views that are repugnant to me. I suppose one approach that sometimes works for me is to not argue the issue directly, but to find a way to how critical thinking might be applied to the argument. In a perfect world the argument might be discussed using less emotional, more rational methods.