What an analog clock revealed to me.
Last week during a conversation we talked analog clocks, in the process I drew a clock and drew the time 11:10am. We continued talking and the person pointed out that my clock was wrong, I kept proving my point, arguing about the time, sure I was right and just not communicating it well. The other person too was certain of her point, even pulled up a computer and showed me the clock, and offered me to call Jim to get some help..... well, after probably 10 minutes of back and forth..... I realized that I was wrong!!!! SOO00000 wrong. I had argued my case, pointed to the clock to explain my position, getting frustrated with the person who obviously was not listening to me and understanding my explanation, only to realize my drawing was wrong, my mind played a trick with me, and I was the fool in it all. The person was gracious enough to let it go and we laughed about it.
How many times have I done this in other matters? Being sure of something and arguing my case, trying to convince the other person how wrong they are, making them the uninformed one.... only to later find out - I was wrong! (and wow, how hard is that to admit?)
Today's world is divided and I want to learn to listen better! I don't know people's stories and I don't
know what makes people come to certain conclusions, but I am learning to just ask better questions
instead of assuming things. I want to listen to people, I want people's voices heard, no matter how much I disagree. I want people to be able to process things through, to understand better. I want to stop arguing about the correct time, and instead look at the clock together and see how we can make it
work.
Being wrong is part of the human experience. What I believed last year might have changed, just as I keep changing and developing. There are some things that are absolutes, but just as many things that
are not. When we are guided by a moral compass that is bigger than ourselves, bigger than our politics, bigger than our history, then we can join together to live today and learn from each other. In the
process I might find out that I was totally wrong.