Pride, Politics, and the Strength of Saying “I Was Wrong”
By R.L. Crossan
We’re taught that pride is a good thing. Take pride in your work. Take pride in your country. Take pride in who you are.
But there’s a version of pride that quietly hardens into something else: a refusal to reconsider. A fear of being seen as wrong. A discomfort with saying, “I didn’t know that.” In politics, that kind of pride is everywhere—and it’s exhausting.
We’ve all seen it happen: a debate starts, facts start flying, voices get louder, and suddenly it’s no longer about the issue—it’s about who’s “winning.” The conversation ends not with understanding, but with both sides doubling down.
Why?
Because in politics, changing your mind has become taboo.
Admitting you were misinformed is seen as weakness.
Asking questions is treated like surrender.
And yet, those are the very things that move us forward.
🧠 It’s Okay to Get It Wrong
Let’s be honest—every one of us has believed something politically that later turned out to be wrong, incomplete, or oversimplified.
Maybe it was a policy we supported before we understood its impact.
Maybe it was a talking point we repeated before checking the source.
Maybe it was a stereotype we accepted without thinking critically.
The point isn’t to feel ashamed of that—it’s to grow from it.
🌱 Growth Requires Humility
The most informed people I know don’t cling to being right. They stay curious. They update their opinions when they learn more. They don’t mind saying, “I used to think differently.”
That’s not weak. That’s wise.
Admitting we were wrong about a political topic—especially a controversial one—requires courage. It means choosing truth over pride, and connection over ego.
Imagine if we approached debates not to “win,” but to understand where we’re still learning. What kind of political culture could we create?
🔁 A Personal Note
There have been times I’ve gotten things wrong—things I argued confidently about. I’ve repeated stats that didn’t hold up. I’ve dismissed points that, in hindsight, had merit. I’ve carried assumptions I later had to unlearn.
Owning that doesn’t make me less credible. It makes me more careful. It keeps me grounded in the goal of Outside Reflections—not to be the loudest voice, but a thoughtful one.
🕊️ What If We Tried Something Different?
What if the next time we were in a heated conversation, we tried pausing instead of pressing?
What if we said, “I hadn’t thought about it that way,” or “I’ll look into that,” or even just “You might be right”?
Those moments don’t end the conversation. They open it up.
And in a time when so much debate turns into division, humility might be the most radical political act we can take.