Reality is a fantastically relative concept. People who don’t read as much as we do are out of the loop, while folks who read more are nerds. Folks who work fewer hours should pick up the slack, but if you work more than I do, you obviously have a problem.

It’s wonderful to always have the perfect balance of everything in our lives, isn’t it? We always vote for the right political candidate, choose the perfect diet and drive a car that is neither ostentatious nor overly modest.

It’s not easy being perfect, but hey, somebody has to do it.

Okay, so maybe we’ve been wrong about a few things. Sure, there was the time in college when we talked our friends into going in together to start that can’t-miss snow cone business. Then there was the time when we were sure that peroxide and parachute pants were just the fashion statement our image needed.

We justify our behavior, attitudes and opinions much more readily than we change them, regardless of how foolish they are, at times. But the more we buttress ourselves against the embarrassment of being wrong, the more rigid and set in our ways we become.

Most folks remember Gumby, the little green character who could bend his body in any configuration you could imagine. He was effectively like a thick, green rubber band with a face.

Confucius may not have ever said it, but he should have: “the ego that is more Gumby-like is never shattered.”

I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Written by Kristan Cole