Disclaimer: I could be wrong. I often am.
— Laila Lalami (@LailaLalami) August 15, 2013
This Tweet from writer, Laila Lalami is something that I felt I needed to highlight a tad more than simply giving it a Retweet, as I did.
There are two phrases in the English language, which I find incredibly healthy, constructive to an intelligent dialogue and simply a reflection of our limitations as human beings:
“I don’t know.”
“I was wrong.”
Yet, those two phrases are incredibly difficult for people to admit or be upfront about. It’s actually a running joke among people that know me personally how much I don’t know. People constantly ask me questions that I don’t know the answer to and then we joke about how often I don’t know the answer. Usually of course, that’s related to family issues and whatnot, but it also applies to my musings on the social, political, cultural, etc. issues of the day. There are countless times where I just do not have a sufficient answer or couldn’t even guesstimate a good one.
Moreover, I have been wrong a lot. I’ve even made posts on this blog correcting those times when I’ve been wrong. One of my shortcomings, which is sad to admit as a budding, would-be journalist, is that I often will latch onto a story without digging deeper. That often results in me being wrong because I sacrificed factual accuracy to the gods of whimsical hastiness.
It’s all part of the learning process and enables character-building. Certainly, I don’t think anyone should feel ashamed for being wrong or not knowing something.
Milam's Musings 