The Corrosive Notion Of ‘The Right People’

Both left and right leaning ideologies have versions of it and they are all equally harmful.

Photo by ohsoshy on Unsplash

The tribalistic concept of ‘us versus them’ is appealing at an instinctive level. It resonates with our base fight or flight survival reflex and appears to make the world an appealingly simple place to understand. The people who are with us are the good guys and those who are against us are the bad guys. Wanting things to be simple is natural. Deliberately blinding ourselves to the fact they are not is dangerous.

When looking at a specific person with regards to a specific situation there can certainly a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ determination. A person’s skills or expertise can make them right or wrong for a particular job, their personality or characteristics can make them a right or wrong fit for a particular environment.

Someone who has spent their life hanging sheetrock is the right person to put up drywall but the wrong person to perform open heart surgery. Highly sensitive and quiet types can be invaluable in moments of grief but do not do well at loud house parties.

No one is a perfect fit for every scenario. We all have times in our lives when we are the right or wrong person for that moment or situation but the determination of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ only applies to that moment or situation. It does not…