Be Wrong

As I continue to play with designs for our upcoming Esse Vitus store I discovered something curious and amusing that prompts this post. I chose the name Esse Vitus for many reasons, upon which I won’t elaborate here for sake of keeping your interest. Among the reasons for my choice, it means (roughly) ‘to be alive’ during a tragic year of loss to a pandemic. When I did my due diligence to make sure that there wasn’t an unintended consequence to this name, I discovered it is actually translated in Google (though not correctly) as ‘be wrong.’ Quelle horreur!

Then I stopped for a second to reflect…. even if it was inaccurate as a translation – is it necessarily so bad to think of Esse Vitus that way?

You’ve probably seen the memes posted all over the internet about the three hardest things to say: “I was wrong/sorry,” “I need help” and funnily adds “Worcestershire sauce.” On a serious note, it takes courage to ‘be wrong.’ To do that, we have to first be willing to learn enough about something to discover we might be wrong. Second, we have to check our own ego to admit we’re wrong.

In some cases we might be cast as “wrong” by those who simply choose not to learn and/or don’t possess the same conscience or courage to do what is right in a given situation. Again, it takes courage to accept that opponents’ misrepresentation in the course of pursuing a just cause.

So I think I am going to celebrate this idea of ‘be wrong’ too. If we are told that we are ‘right’ because we can extract unearned privilege and be unjustly enriched in our society, then I am more comfortable ‘being wrong.’ Same goes for situations where being ‘right’ means seizing an opportunity to avoid the truth of injustice and harming others by withholding support and validation of their just concerns. Imagine the transformative potential in acknowledging something is wrong and therefore we are wrong if we keep accepting it! Admitting we’re wrong opens the door to pursuing what is right. Perhaps if more of us chose to ‘be wrong’ for the sake of pursuing what is right, then we can build a more just and equitable society together – I can think of no better reason to ‘be wrong.’

Similarly, if it’s ‘wrong’ to stand up to injustice and being ‘right’ is conditioned on staying silent and letting others suffer in the wake of such inaction; then I am more comfortable ‘being wrong.’ A lasting stigma of being labeled ‘wrong’ can be the consequence of doing what is truly right. So I’ll think of my little Esse Vitus project as an attempt to breathe life into the idea that maybe being wrong sometimes isn’t so bad. Maybe Esse Vitus can be a tiny source of pride for those who seek to do what is right in the face of many obstacles; and inspiration for the rest to do better…