In the “Emperor’s New Clothes,” the king’s tailors created a lavish outfit for the king. He surrounded himself with fans who gushed over the opulent attire. One problem, though. The new clothes were invisible.
In the end, only one little boy possessed the honesty to say, “The king is naked.”
The moral of the story? It’s kinda, sorta dangerous to surround yourself with yes-people.
Yeah, it’s embarrassing when someone points out that I don’t know everything. It stings when I’m wrong.
That said, isn’t it better to acknowledge incorrectness rather than keep defending a wrong notion?
To complicate matters, life isn’t black and white. Just because I haven’t experienced something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The more voices I add to the choir of our conversation, the closer it comes to reflecting reality.
The best minds adjust their views based on what’s observed. Science is strong because it relentlessly follows the evidence. We’d do well to gather evidence on any given topic and be prepared to shift course when appropriate.
But, I could be wrong. 🙂
Want to complicate things more? Ever hear of the Johari Window?
My point?
It’s somewhat dangerous to abolish all differing opinions from your world.
Sure, the differing opinions may be incorrect. But, even if they are, if someone cares enough about an issue to courteously raise a contrary view, a simple, “Thanks for your opinion” is certainly appropriate.
Takeaway: If you’re in a situation where outside opinions are dogpiled, mocked, called names, etc… unless you like a knock down drag out without any resolution, unless you have tons of time to kill, unless you enjoy an emotional roller coaster ride… I wouldn’t bother jumping into the discussion.
Also, when someone highlights one of your own blind spots, another point of view, don’t instantly brush it aside.
Effective persuasion is slow, gentle, and compelling.
