Desire To Be Acquainted With The Truth
“I sincerely desire to be acquainted with the Truth, and on that Account shall think my self obliged to any one, who will take the Pains to shew me, or the Publick, where I am mistaken in my Conclusions”
Benjamin Franklin
We fear being wrong. We shy away from questioning perceived truths. We don’t ask people for further explanation when they say something we don’t understand. We don’t speak up when people say things we disagree with. We are hard-headed when someone suggests something that flies in the face of what we believe, and we fail to listen to them. If our goal is to become smarter then this is horrible for us.
Our goal should not be to win an argument with an incorrect answer, but to leave a discussion with the truth.
If you believed that 1+1=3, wouldn't you want to know that 1+1=2?
Would you prefer to preserve your ego or to become smarter?
If your goal is to become smarter then you can only become smarter by seeking truth. Aim to understand the world around you. Question the statements that you hear not with the intention of proving them wrong, but to learn.