What If You're Wrong?

We hear the term the 'the science is settled' a lot. A phrase almost exclusive to the modern left. That and 'right side of history'. The two are sometimes linked. If you accept that climate change is settled then you will be on the right side of history.

It's a simplistic piece of nonsensical jingoism but it works in their minds I guess.

One of the guiding force that has always made up part of my philosophical and psychological profile is self-doubt. This constant rattling of doubt kept me in my lane through four words: What if I'm wrong?

I could never be cemented into any one thought, belief or thing. It's just not who I am. Whenever I do try to, it never feels right. Heck, sometimes a comment I made in the day or in a chat debate eats me up!

Such is the quest for truth. It never ends and the more you read and know the less you understand or just come to accept sometimes you, well, just don't know.

Nothing is written in stone and little is ever settled.

If they say that then they have an agenda and some snake oil to sell. 

This is what I'd ask the 'Co-captains' of social media industry: What if you're wrong?

The reason you censor is because you have a belief system. And that belief is accepted to be settled in stone. Or else why bother to shut down differing opinions and views, right?

Humans aren't infallible. It's what keeps us alive and evolving. 

Consider.

Failure is a more natural part of the human experience than success (depending on how you define each but I trust we can ballpark this here based on our own personal anecdotes and experience and likely all arrive at a similar end point).

One of the most famous 'failures' during his life was Van Gogh. Edison probably failed more than he succeeded. The list of writers who failed before succeeding - those that were lucky - is so long I can't name them here.

In a similar vain, Mozart didn't just produce masterpieces, he sweated them out. And still he had compositions that failed big time.

Einstein is another. Newton spent his life on alchemy and couldn't manage the family farm. Reading his bio, I kinda got why! 

And so on.

Because failure is natural, in oder to succeed you need to put that much more effort and then some. And even then more. 

I'll close with baseball to slug the final run in.

In baseball, if you hit in the .249-.279 range, you're considered capable and dependable. .280-.299 above average, solid and usually an All-Star. .300-.319 and over you're in an elite group and in Hall of Fame territory. Above . 320 definite immortal. 

That is, if you safely hit 25-28% of the time you're in the game of life and will have a decent career.28-30% a sold career and perhaps some trophies and longer career. 

If you succeed 30% of the time, you're all but assured a long hall of fame career.

3 out of 10 times and you're a baseball god.

That means you failed 70% to 80% of the time!

That's a great metaphor fo life.

So I ask.

What if you're wrong?