Can You Admit You Are Wrong?

[Guest Ktrek]

If you had made a mistake and were proved to be wrong could you own up to it or would you just try and justify yourself? Is there any integrity left in this world or are all people just totally selfish and self-concerned?

 

Ktrek

[Captain Holland 0]

I can admit that I'm wrong. Unless I'm not wrong than a Cardassian couldn't ring it out of me. :)

[BlueCrystal 0]

I'm usually wrong but when I'm right. I'll admit I'm wrong even when I know I'm right. For example my husband and I were talking about time a few days ago and he informed me that at 2:00 o'clock evening he would be at one of his drops. I made the mistake of laughing and worse yet I correcting. (Cringe, I must learn my place.) Anyway, to keep peace in my household and him happy I acknowledged there was a 2:00 o'clock evening.

 

It's two hours after lunch time if anyone is interested. {BC} whispers it's 2 in the afternoon.

[jefffitz 0]

I try to see the huge fiasco I have made of my life and laugh. That way when I screw-up I can say "Hey I told you I was gonna screw this up- see my defense attorney." This strategy hasn't worked to well so far, but I have confidence that it will work in the long run.

[Guest Ktrek]

I try to see the huge fiasco I have made of my life and laugh.  That way when I screw-up I can say "Hey I told you I was gonna screw this up-  see my defense attorney."  This strategy hasn't worked to well so far, but I have confidence that it will work in the long run.

:P :) :) I LOVE IT!!!!! :) :( :lol:

 

Ktrek

 

[mj 7]

I've had many situations where I have had to apologize. Perhaps the most serious was when I chastized a TA (teaching assistant) in front of his class when he had run overtime and delayed my class from meeting on time. He was in error, but I caused him problems and pain by the way I handled it. He came to me to tell me how humiliated he felt, and the fact that I had caused him to loose face with his students. (Now he caused me problems also -- I had to retest students because of loss of time.)

 

Nevertheless he had a point. SO I MADE HIM THIS OFFER: I will go to your class and apologize to you in front of your class, since I berated you in front of your class. He lit up like a firecracker, he was so happy. I did exactly that, telling his students how highly the department felt about this graduate student. That young man and I are friends to this day.

 

Here on this site, the best thing that has happended to me was apologizing, mostly to the mods when, as a regular member, I realized my behavior was indeed out of line. It was liberating...it helped me to see more than my own perspective here.

[Jim Phaserman 0]

depends on where I am wrong at. if I am wrong here, Do I really care? if I am wrong at work, then it could, given the circumstances, result in someone's death, so I MUST own up to it.

[Lady Luthien 0]

So far ive almost admitted it when I was wrong really but those stupid ignorant teachers just cant get over the fact that they might be wrong once,therefor i do have a lot of discussions with some of the teachers at my school.

[ARMS 0]

It all depends really.

[DutchDebbie 0]

Yes i can and i have been wrong about one or two things and it nearly cost me everything but if i am wrong i will be the first to admit it.

[hangon 3]

Nope i am never wrong about anything..lol nah when i am wrong about something then 9/10 times i will admit it and apoligise but it does depend on who it is and what it is about :)

[Jeanway 0]

With much haste and dispatch :)

[Doc Niel 0]

Yes I admit it! I admit when I'm wrong, though if you ask some people they'll tell you I'm the most selfish person they know. Though this is only one persons opinion about me. It should weigh, I've known them forever, but then again we really don't know each other anyway, so what does it matter. If you want to get to know someone and they don't let you past there defenses. :)

Thanks for letting me ramble on about this.

Doc Niel out

[Tina 0]

Nope,,I am too perfect! :)

[Red Shirt Volunteer 0]

Most of you seem over-concerned with what's "right" or "wrong." For me, what comes next is more important. If I think admitting I'm "wrong" even when I know I'm not can avoid a future problem, I'll do it. If I'm wrong and know it but can't be bothered dealing with a person who I've had a lot of disagreements with and I think refusing to admit I'm wrong will irritate them and possibly reduce how much I even have to talk to them because they're so frustrated with me, I'll do that, too. Right and wrong is so often a matter of perspective and interpretation that it rarely matters in maintaining a great number of relationships. The important thing is that others perceive you as being sincere in what you say regardless of whether you're correct or not.

 

In the end you have to decide if you'd rather be right or get along well with people to some degree at some times.

[joeybear 0]

i can admit when i'm wrong, EVEN when there've been two wrongs - i've learned to remove myself from worrying whether the other party will ever realize their own error - there's really little i can do about another being...

 

i can, on the other hand, change myself, and for that , i relish mistakes and learning from them (ya rite, jerk)...

 

the only time i really hate being wrong is when choice is involved - if i choose a path, and could've/should've chosen another, well, that just sucks...

 

who is this freak?!? :)

Edited June 15, 2004 by joeybear

[Admiral Kirk 1]

I have no problem admitting that I'm wrong especially when there is proof of it. It irks me that some of our people in authority these days can't seem to.

[Guest Ktrek]

Most of you seem over-concerned with what's "right" or "wrong."  For me, what comes next is more important.  If I think admitting I'm "wrong" even when I know I'm not can avoid a future problem, I'll do it.

But isn't this just concession "based" on a "lie"? I can understand apologizing to avoid further or future conflict but to agree to a lie is wrong IMHO.

 

Ktrek

[Jeanway 0]

 

 

 

 

 

In a streak and a flash

[Jim Phaserman 0]

if I am right, I don't care what the situation is, I AM right,I will not back down, not for anyone. to me, if I am right, and I say I am wrong just to get someone to shut up, it is a sign of weakness, a sign that I don't care about what I am talking about.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Most of you seem over-concerned with what's "right" or "wrong."  For me, what comes next is more important.  If I think admitting I'm "wrong" even when I know I'm not can avoid a future problem, I'll do it.  If I'm wrong and know it but can't be bothered dealing with a person who I've had a lot of disagreements with and I think refusing to admit I'm wrong will irritate them and possibly reduce how much I even have to talk to them because they're so frustrated with me, I'll do that, too.  Right and wrong is so often a matter of perspective and interpretation that it rarely matters in maintaining a great number of relationships.  The important thing is that others perceive you as being sincere in what you say regardless of whether you're correct or not.

 

In the end you have to decide if you'd rather be right or get along well with people to some degree at some times.

I think that is a very perceptive response. Far too many people obsess on being "right" and ignore the larger picture - what Steven Covey calls "defending the position" Everyone should read that book (7 habits)

 

Sure, if the question is something like "What is the capital of Florida" and if I said Orlando, yeah, I'd say I was wrong.

 

But if it is more a situation of your spouses finishes a task for you. You're upset and feel he/she was just trying to point out your irresponsibility. Is there a "right" and "wrong"? Some people will say "I didn't do anything wrong so if you have a problem - it's your problem" In that case the person is more determined to defend their position "I didn't do anything wrong" than to acknowledge your concerns. What he/she is shouting at the top of his/her voice is "Your feelings aren't worth squat, there's only room for my ego in this relationship so get over it?" Could be he/she was really only trying to do you a favor because he/she loved you but by becoming defensive has damaged the very thing he sought to accomplish.

 

Most of us have probably been on both sides of this issue, we may have recognized it or we still may not get it. When pride is your most treasured possession your relationships will suffer.

 

Ktrek, I suspect I know what inspired this question and it would be more of the former type of question.

 

A little off topic but when someone does apologize - accept it and never bring it up again.

[mj 7]

I don't think everything is just right or wrong, black or white, either / or. Sometimes both sides are partly right and partly wrong. To the extent that I can, I try to live peaceably. That may (and has) require(d) me to humble myself and apologize.

 

It really can make a wonderful difference.