The French language includes a phrase that describes situations where you have unlimited discretionary power to act as you see fit The term is “carte blanche”.

Often we translate the correctness of our position to carte blanche.  That is to say, I often observe others behave as they see fit because they firmly believe they are in the right.

Win the fight, lose the battle

Being right might translate to winning an argument but at what cost?  You might be correct, but your actions could lead you to regret the way you behave as a result.

Think of a fight you had with a partner, spouse or close friend that ended with a victory.   Did you feel good about the result or was the damage to the relationship the overriding consideration that ultimately left you feeling miserable.

Being right and acting accordingly can lead to sadness and remorse.  How you behave in a given situation is better driven by the results you seek rather than righteousness.

Feeling Good

If your actions lead you to feel bad about yourself, what’s the point.  Road rage can provide a good analogy of focusing on what makes sense rather than who is right.

I recently heard of a case where a car cut off another and an accident was barely avoided.  The driver that was correct in their driving practices leaped from his car in anger with a weapon in hand.

The right was on his side and his intent to punish the offending driver was logically justified.  He had been wronged and the other deserved to have that point clarified.

Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately, depending on your perspective) the police were near at hand and the road rage was ended with the driver who was in the right being arrested.

Case in point, being right does not always lead to the best outcomes.