I wonder why people follow me. I don't even have a smartphone privately and i don't make more than one meme every other month.
What exactly about me is interesting?
@admitsWrongIfProven
I think I followed you because you made a good comment on one of my photos.
Also I like your name. Seems to me more people need to practice admitting when they are proven wrong.
@DrJLCatlett Oh yes, and i need to practice it more. Getting older, i still see i am wrong again and again, and i catch myself being hot-headed again... after thinking i have seen it all. So somehow, i feel old like my life is nearly over (oh, the bones are aching!), i think i have seen it all, then i am in the moment ranting and looking back i was like 14 tops (by how calm i was)!
And if you are interested in my reasons, i was touched you pinned the post with that wonderful picture you took that was adressed at me. You have a lot of posts with wonderful pictures and while i mostly make rather negative posts, i do see that we all need something nice in our lives.
@admitsWrongIfProven
It can be so hard to admit when I’m wrong!
I think it takes practice. Also sometimes people come to me with “proof” which just doesn’t seem correct.
There’s one good use of a smart phone for you! If it is a trivial disagreement like who wrote a song or book, you can look up the answer on line! 😄
@admitsWrongIfProven
Yes, I think it helps to focus on what you learn when wrong. I’ve also found it more useful professionally to admit I was wrong or don’t know something than to try and insist I am right.
Actually, I’ve never found it useful professionally to insist on being right, although I’ve met people who seem to go pretty far with that attitude. They are exhausting to work with.
@DrJLCatlett I think there is merit in not admitting you do not know something in some situations. Not insisting you are right when you are not, but the twilight zone of uncertainty.
The example that clued me in was visiting a lake in the dusk. I was a bit unsure of where to go (left or right, which leads to the beach?) and people started to do their thing (call someone, have him pick us up). I was sure right after existing the car, but the damage was done. We stood there and waited, nobody wanted to believe me i knew where to go.
So yeah, don't pretend to be right if you are not. But do regulate when you admit you have no idea what is going on - sometimes plowing through pretending you know what you are doing is better ^^
And i wish there had been no phones. They would not have been able to make this that annoying like that without ;-)
@admitsWrongIfProven
People use smart phones to settle small disagreements all the time!
You are right, they aren’t useful for discussions of philosophy, just for facts like authors, musicians, etymology or history. These can seem trivial, but when both parties are certain of their information a “neutral” tool can help.
Most recently I had a disagreement about the origin of the word “GOLF”. My smartphone gave an answer, which as I suspected had nothing to do with the gender of the players.
@DrJLCatlett For me, what made it easier was to focus on what i am learning. Making mistakes is a great way to learn, and that is surely a good thing.
I don't want to jeopardize your career, so please don't try it at work first, but if you are enthusiastic with what new knowledge you have from a mistake you admit, people are usually not as negative as one thinks (and as is sometimes woefully normal in corporate culture).
"Proof", yeah. It can be exhausting, then blocking is a good idea (this exists in real life too, so block people by invoking the words ^^). But if you want to engage, i recommend displaying the confusion warranted. If someone acts in bad faith, it is usually obvious what is going on. But you are not required to understand! "oh what do you mean?", oh yes. Just like with sexist jokes, not laughing, just wondering and asking "what do you mean?" can help.
To this use of a smartphone, thank you for making the effort to answer. But i must say that the scenario seems a bit rare? Does that happen often to you or were you exploring the border of possibilities? Not negative here, just really really wondering - if i am talking to people i either get philosophical questions that cannot be looked up or trivial things that are clear usually.