134. Stubbornness As A Virtue

When someone refuses to do something wrong regardless of the personal consequences, we see their stubbornness as courageous. They are committed to doing the right thing even though they might be harmed, and this is exactly the kind of steadfastness we support and encourage.

When someone refuses to consider that they might be caught up in a misunderstanding, we see their stubbornness as ignorant. They are unwilling to accept that there might be more to the situation than they already know, and this is exactly the kind of closedmindedness we detest and condemn.

When is stubbornness helpful and when is it harmful? Both kinds of stubbornness arise as opposition to an outside force, an other that demands a particular action. In the first case, the opposition is aimed at the action itself because it is seen as wrong, whereas in the second case, the opposition is aimed at the awareness the action seeks to create. Stubbornness that resists awareness is harmful, while stubbornness that resists action is at least ambiguous.

It is ambiguous because we cannot know whether or not the person who stubbornly resists action is actually doing the right thing. No one can know this, because what is ultimately good is outside the scope of knowledge. It may very well be the case that the stubborn person is wrong, and that their seemingly courageous opposition is actually mistaken.

The best we can do is to look for signs of compassion when we encounter stubbornness. We can examine the honesty, openness, and sensitivity of the stubborn person, and their responsiveness to our concerns. This can provide some indication that the person is acting from compassion and not merely trying to assert their individual beliefs.

But most of all, we must be skeptical of our own stubbornness. For we are always the worst judge of our own righteousness. We must do all we can to be aware of others and to respond thoughtfully to those who suggest that our determined resolve might actually be harmful.