As I grow older and see and experience more of the world, I…
As I grow older and see and experience more of the world, I have increasingly come to believe that the root of all evil in this world (that being actions that cause significant harm, intended or otherwise,) is the desire to inflict one's will upon others.
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Unless, of course, we live in a society of one. But that, I think, is an exceedingly rare situation in our civilization.
The desire to control our little world, what we are cognizant of whether it actually affects us or not, is a very dangerous desire.
If we do not limit ourselves in pursuit of that control, we will never create a just society on any level.
Yes, the desire to be right is one of the strongest yet unrecognized drivers of modern history
The first is perfectly fine, and may be admirable.
The second is arrogance, ego, and selfishness (a distinctly different thing than self-interest, which many deliberately confuse in an effort to rationalize indifference towards others at other's expense.)
I think it's about more than being right... It's about having control.
Being right is internal. Having control is an exertion of one's will on things around them.
Being right can be "I am in agreement with reality," or "reality is in agreement with me."