There Is Little Value To Being Right

This quote was written in the context of software engineering, but is just as applicable to many theology arguments I’ve heard. The author’s boss once pointed out that people can hold differing opinions about many topics without anyone’s “rightness” making a difference to the success of a project. A manager must carefully select the topics he was willing to fight for versus topics that boiled down to an irrelevant difference of opinion. Allowing people to “win” the arguments where opinions differ but you don’t really have anything at stake makes for better and more productive relationships.

At the end of the day, there is very little value to being right. You don’t acquire rightness points and just how frequently you are right doesn’t end up on your resume. What actually matters are the relationships you have. You can only go as far as the people who want to communicate with you. Being right actually hurts if it interferes with your ability to interact with people. As my former manager said, you should definitely know what is important to you and be willing to fight for it. But let go of the pedantic points you are trying to make – those just don’t matter.

via Being right doesn’t matter | NCZOnline.