Being Right

Just ask yourself if you find this situation familiar: You are in an argument. You KNOW you are right.
"I am right! You are not! And I wont stop talking about it until I convince you I am right, too!!! GRAH!!!!"
And here's the kicker - the person you're arguing with is thinking the exact same thing.

I do this a lot.  There are a lot of times when I'm fully convinced I'm right, and I'll be incredibly stubborn about it. To the point of yelling at and being bitter at those I Love and cherish.  I got to thinking about this last night, and then I thought:

Is it really that important?
Being right, that is.  Even if you are in the right, and whoever you're talking to is in the wrong...

Is it more important to be right than to keep others from hurting?
Is being right more important than a sibling?
Is being right more important than a best friend?
Is it so important to be right that you would risk a day, an hour, or even a few minutes of time that could have otherwise been a happy memory - merely to prove yourself?
Is being right more important than being Loving?


So what if I prove myself right -  if I hurt someone I Love dearly in the process? 
So what if I think my undeniably "right" answer needs to be realized? Is that need so much that I would make someone else dislike me, be bitter, or even cry?

That's when it came to me.  The people I hold dear are much more important to me than that. Much, much more.

So next time I'm being accused of saying something I know I didn't... "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way - I meant it like this."
Next time something is taken from me without my permission... "It's just a thing. You're more important to me than that. Could you ask next time, though?"
Next time I have something oh-so-knowledgable to contribute, I will refrain - if what I have to say is going to spar a hurtful fight.

Being right is not more important to me than my sisters, my parents, my friends...
If being right will cost me a relationship, or even one could-have-been-happy moment, it's not worth it; that cost is something I'm not willing to pay.
Are you?