Once upon a time, I watched a video of this man who wanted to be a comedian. He wanted it so badly, he hired an agent who told him he was amazing and that his Sean Connery imitation was spot-on (not that any of us watching knew what he was trying to do). He wanted it so badly, he was willing to dress up in a chicken suit every day to pass out fliers to earn money to keep his agent who was sure to bring him success. When asked if he ever thought he might not succeed, he said, “No. No. I’m definitely going to make it.” There was absolutely no doubt in his mind whatsoever.
Ever since then, I’ve always asked myself when someone sounds too sure: What if they’re wrong?
Because if you never, ever see the possibility of being wrong, then you cannot see any potential obstacles that are in your way, and if you can’t see them, how are you supposed to get over them? That wannabe comedian had a bad agent. He wasn’t funny. He’d been trying for so long and had never succeeded. A good agent would’ve told him that he sucked — but he didn’t want to hear that he might be wrong, so he picked an agent who told him he was great and who took his money all the time. Makes them both happy, I guess, but it doesn’t bring the success he’s looking for.
When my anthropology textbook criticised ethnocentrism and said that considering other cultures from their cultural standpoints is the way to go, I asked that question. When politicians, the media, or other people take offence to criticism or say, “You’re either with us or against us,” I ask myself that question.
Because what if you’re wrong? I’m not saying that you definitely are — for example, I’m not really disagreeing with the basic anthropological principles outlined in the book, just with the amount of absolute certainty that is conveyed — but what if you are? Then you never see your mistakes, never fix them and only repeat them.
I dunno. Maybe I’ve got the wrong end of the stick as well. I think everyone should watch that video, though. It really makes you think between all the cringing.
