One of the secrets to gracious, conscious living is to choose what is right for you without making others wrong in the process.

Jenifer Madson — Living the Promises

 

 

Why do I have an urge to be right? Perhaps more importantly, why do I need to force other people to “be right?” Why do I correct minor errors of fact, sometimes even when I'm not sure of my own facts? Why do I need to contradict statements of opinion when I disagree? This urge, this need, this defect of character has caused more trouble in my relationships than I can measure. As I became aware of this problem, I started to apply the slogan “How important is it?” to my interactions. When my wife asserted that a particular event happened in 1993, and I was pretty sure it really was in 1994, I thought to myself “How important is the difference between 1993 and 1994?”, to which the answer was “not at all!” So I kept my mouth shut. When a friend says “It's been really cold, lately,” I can think to myself, “I've found it quite nice” without needing to contradict my friend's opinion out loud. I can choose what is right for me without making them wrong. Needless to say, it's still a work in progress. I spent much of my life “being right”, and I am still learning to “choose what is right.”

A meditation for April 19, 2013.

(Stick with it. It starts out a little odd, but stay with it to the song. I think you won't be disappointed.)