There is no point in arguing with “I am always right” people

In my city, for about 30 years, there is a demolished house. Destroyed in the war. Only the load-bearing walls remained. And the grass, which broke through the broken brick. Everything around her has changed. Houses. Yards. Streets. People. Buildings, Children’s playgrounds. Only she was left stubbornly, so devastated to remind passers-by, of what no one wants to think. In her overgrown yard, war. Around it in 2021, people in the aisle look away, and children, frightened by the distorted shadows and stories of adults, run across the street.

On Friday, I heard a noise as I passed her and saw an excavator tearing down her facade.

The time has come for new beginnings. Some new walls, new yard fences behind which laughter will be heard. Behind which, instead of eerie silence, life will finally be heard.

I like to think somehow, it’s so much easier for me, to always collapse something that is rotten. Something that is solid, with a good foundation lasts. Something that is maintained, something that is invested in lasts.

Maybe I’m a dreamer. Maybe a romantic. Idealist.

But I love brave, hardworking, truthful people. Confident, bold and learned. And modest. (There are some! Although sometimes it doesn’t seem that way.)

I don’t like arrogant, boastful, egocentric. Which are always right. Which do not give a word. And then when they give use them against you. The loud ones, but not too powerful.

The ones that make you naively waste time repairing rotten walls. On persuasion, on arguments. On the evidence. On unreasonable justification.

Like in that story about the donkey and the tiger.

When a donkey convinced a tiger that the grass was blue and the tiger proved it was green. They argued and finally, went to the lion, the king of the forest, to solve the problem ..

Before they reached the spot in the woods, where the lion was sitting on his throne, the donkey began to shout:

“Your Majesty, is it true that the grass is blue?”

Leo replied: “That’s right, the grass is blue!”

The donkey was delighted: “The tiger disagrees with me, contradicts me and annoys me, please punish him!”

The king of beasts said; “The tiger will be punished with 5 years of silence!”

The donkey jumped happily and moved on contentedly, repeating: “The grass is blue!”

Accepting the punishment, the tiger asked the lion: “Majesty, why did you punish me? The grass is green, isn’t it?”

Leo replied: “I agree, the grass is green. Punishment has nothing to do with the question of what grass is. Blue or green. The punishment goes for the fact that a brave and intelligent animal like you, can’t spend time arguing with a donkey and then come to me with this question.”

The most terrible waste of time is to quarrel with the ignorant, who cares neither for truth nor for reality, but only for the victory of his beliefs and illusions.

There is no point in arguing with “I am always right” people. There is no point in discussions. In arguments. Evidence. You don’t achieve anything with them!

Let them celebrate their “victories.” Their illusions. Let them be full of themselves. Let them be proud. Let them be “right” when it makes them so happy.

And reward yourself with 5 years of silence, or more, before someone else punishes you. Do yourself a favor, Invest your time in something solid. Something that doesn’t threaten to collapse. Something that won’t bury you alive.