Why We Need To Be Wrong

Growing up, many of us probably remember a time when our parents were the smartest people in the world. They knew the solutions to all our problems, and they could take on any situation. But eventually, we began to realize that they didn't have all the answers. In our rebellious teenage years, we likely realized that not only were they occasionally wrong, but more often than not they told us to disregard their errors, and take their opinions as valid prima facia. However, despite how young people often see adults as authoritarians, their life wisdom more often than not proved them correct when it really counted. Finally, when we become adults ourselves, and the people who have guided our lives have grown old and grey, it finally dawns on us. Those adults were just like we are, and nobody really knows exactly what they're doing.

It's a crucial part of our development to make mistakes, but many of us are too overcome by the fear of failure to understand that the outcome of those failures is growth and development. Of course, along that path, there may lay insecurities, ridicule, heartbreak, and in some cases even physical damage. Many of our greatest sources of wisdom come from traumatic events. This was highlighted to me in great clarity by watching a TEDTalk given by B.J. Miller. B.J. is a palliative care physician. He spends his days watching people die, and it's his job to send people off as best he can. And he certainly understands how frail our lives can be; when he was only a teenager he was nearly electrocuted to death. Luckily, his incident only cost him both his legs and an arm.

Existence moves so quickly, and it is very easy to want to stay in one place. But as hard as we try, the river of time never fully stops, unless you're moving at the speed of light. But even light is subject to change over the vast cosmic scale. For us too, time is fleeting, and if we don't make the most out of every moment, the only result can be regret.

This is why it is crucial that we are not afraid of making mistakes. What we often forget is that the only successful people were the ones who had enough tenacity to not give up despite constant failure. Isaac Newton, who developed the first laws of gravity and even developed calculus, was wrong. Einstein showed that gravity doesn't travel instantly. But even Einstein was wrong. God plays dice and quantum mechanics proves it. Even today many scientists say that if you think you understand quantum mechanics, then you don't. But what do they know about people a hundred or a thousand years from now? About as much as they know about quantum mechanics not.

But this is the case for nearly all inspirational stories throughout history. The key to success isn't merely luck, it's predominantly perseverance. What people may refer to as an "overnight success" only happens after long days constantly muddling through insecurity, rejection, and yes, failure. It's merely part of the process. What keeps most people from obtaining what they want is by giving up themselves. They give up because they don't really want it bad enough. Victory only comes to those who put in the time and the sweat, and take on failure head on, who fall and get back up, who say "next" when they hear "no".

So while it may be terrifying to take that next step into the uncertainty of the quantum foam, listen to any successful person, and they will always tell you that what's more terrifying is living a life with regrets. There's no going back in time, and the only way to learn is to make mistakes. The goal is simply to not make the same mistake twice. So use your time to make as many mistakes as you can, and sooner or later people will look at you like you have all the answers.

Most importantly, don't be afraid to be wrong. Be afraid to not having questions to ask. You can't know everything in the universe. You can't really know what you're doing. But then again, nobody does. Just do it. Do your best.