Seneca Moral essays
Seneca: It often condemns a man because it dislikes his…
It often condemns a man because it dislikes his patron; it loves and maintains error even when truth is staring it in the face. It hates to be proved wrong, and thinks it more honourable to persevere in a mistaken line of conduct than to retract it.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Seneca’s moral essays. The reading beside it is ours.
Being wrong is uncomfortable. That is why we can cling to a bad decision long after the evidence has changed, especially if someone we dislike is the one pointing it out. We reject the messenger, then pretend we have rejected the message. The result is expensive stubbornness: a manager keeps a failing project alive, a couple replays the same argument, an investor throws more money at a loss just to avoid admitting the first bet was mistaken. Changing course is not an insult to your past self. It is proof that you are more loyal to reality than to pride. Notice the moment you feel the urge to defend a position simply because it is yours. That feeling is a signal to slow down. Ask, If my rival had proposed this idea, would I see its value? Let the answer matter more than saving face.
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