Could We Be More Wrong?

That's not a challenge - it's a mystification

Photo by Malcolm Lightbody on Unsplash

We're all wrong, mistaken, or just don't know so much more than we think we know. Maybe about almost actually everything! Sweet. It really is hilarious how little we actually understand about our world and how sure so many of us act.

And it's fine. We literally just can't know more than we know. And we have all of this pressure from society to know things. Being wrong isn't a problem. But being unable or unwilling to be wrong, mistaken, or not know can get us all into trouble. Maybe you noticed? In case it's worth saying, it's far better to not know than to cling to falsities.

It would be pretty neat if people weren't such stubborn fools about what they don't actually know, right? Someone's ignorance can be insufferable. It would be great if more people could get over themselves when they are wrong and move on so we don't waste so much precious energy.

It's a funny thing, too, because ignorance and blindness can also masquerade as certainty. Our own certainty can actually blind us to our own blinded ignorance. Especially given the finicky nature of our perceptions, taking these things very personally can be unnecessarily complicated torture. What perspectives are you really willing to bet your life on? What truly trustworthy sources are you dealing with? Are there any trustworthy authorities left? If so, who and when?

Owning up to being wrong is hard and uncomfortable enough as it is without other people piling on and being twats about it. While ridicule, expressing anger and the like *can* have its place, when and how is it really effective? Productively roasting or poking someone's blindspots is an art. Doing so poorly is like drowning in mud together. If you don't have the right words at the right time, you can just shut up. And many people might respond better to a less aggressive approach, especially depending on the context.

Nobody who’s cool really cares that you were wrong. If they think they're more special because they aren't wrong about some things, their wrongnesses just haven’t hit them in the face yet. Literally nobody is 100% right about all things. And most people are scared to begin to face how little they truly know, or is known by anyone in the world. Beliefs can only take us so far.

And, great news! It's not your fault! Really, it’s like we never had a chance at pure perception or getting everything right.

You popped out of mom into an incredibly insane world, that most people thought was sane, that was happy to fill you and your mind with all of its great 'knowledge' about how the world works. You basically had no chance. But instead of all that knowledge bestowed upon you being true and helpful, a lot of it was illusions and bullshit that you've had to sort through ever since. Good job, team! It can be both great and horrible to realize how deluded society, authoritative institutions, and your friends and family were/are.

I wonder why humanity is so messed up.

It really is a tragic and hilarious situation. We are so mistaken and blind we can't comprehend how mistaken and blind we are. But that doesn't stop seemingly everyone from running around in their lives convinced and sure of oh so many things.

Anyway, enough of us are going to have to face the bullshit we inherited if we want this ride to last much longer. We really are running out of space to kick the can of avoidance down the road. The cliff might be just another kick or two away, and it’s like we've got a stronger leg than Ronaldo and an angry Hulk combined.

Really, though, it is amazing and hilarious how much what we were taught about the world, how much of conventional thinking, is delusional. How can this place even function with all of these misperceptions? It's crazymaking to normalize delusions and lies to the extent we have.

And I don't want to forget to give us our credit where it's due: The herd really does excel at being delusional and believing some dumbass ideas. We should be winning awards, and not just because we participated. We really excelled. If anything, the more people hold a popular belief or perspective, the more skepticism is warranted.

There is a certain logic to the idea that more people agreeing means they're more likely to be right, but the universe is apparently a troll, because that's not actually what happens. After all, we are descendants of the same people who vilified Galileo for being far more right about the Earth revolving around the sun. Not a good look. This should not give you confidence about massively agreed upon conclusions.

I do have a lot of sympathy for people. This ridiculous world will even sell you a PhD based on delusional beliefs and tons of people will pretend it's real, and give you a career, salary, and undue authority. We all reinforce each other's delusions all the time, helping us to believe more strongly that our delusions are correct. It’s a ridiculous ask to have to face that such foundational things in your life were a lie, but here we are. And not just individually, but as a collective. The good news is, we’re all in this boat together. The aliens must be laughing their asses off at our predicament, glued to the show (I know I am).

As much as I try to laugh about everything with this godforsaken joke of a situation, we are in hot water. And it is time sensitive. The water is already boiling, actually. And we are somehow the frogs *and* the cook while generally not realizing we are the frogs *or* the cook. Huh. So, uh, yeah. Maybe we should check in with ourselves before the kitchen burns down?

If you’re interested in having a shocking “my whole life, all of life, was a lie” moment, and who wouldn’t be, we need you, you weirdo. Wouldn’t it actually be a big relief if we were wrong about a lot of things that are creating the nightmare? In exchange for facing the music, you’ll get to have your socks knocked off and see at least a bit more about whatever is really going on here with us. And maybe we’ll get to stick around on this beautiful planet a bit longer thanks to your willingness to have your worldviews put through the fire. Wanna see?

---