THERE’S A MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS POST!

Please don’t keep reading.

I’m serious.

There is a monster at the end of this post, and I would strongly recommend that you stop reading immediately.

I don’t know what possessed you to click on this article in the first place. The title was a warning. The picture was a warning. Even the monster in the picture looks concerned about your judgment.

And yet, here you are.

Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

---

Before You Go Any Further

Let me explain something.

I’ve recently been conducting a little experiment on Facebook. I started giving people reasons to unfollow me.

Not subtle reasons, either.

I practically invited people to pack their bags, gather their belongings, and leave my little corner of the internet forever.

And do you know what happened?

They started following me.

Thousands of reactions. Thousands of comments. Hundreds of shares. Hundreds of new followers.

Apparently, I’m surrounded by people who cannot follow simple instructions.

And now you’re doing it too.

I specifically told you there was a monster at the end of this post, and you just kept reading.

This is becoming a serious problem.

HERE! AN EXIT!

Fortunately, I have prepared a safe alternative.

You can leave this dangerous article right now and visit my bookstore.

ESCAPE TO THE LIBERTYTRUTH OUTLET — BOOKS DIRECT FROM THE AUTHOR

There are books there. Actual books. About human behavior, freedom, personal clarity, cooking, household skills, and other considerably safer subjects.

Well, some of them are safer.

And the Outlet offers books directly from the author at prices below their usual list prices.

You could be browsing books right now instead of approaching a monster.

Think about your priorities.

---

You’re Still Here?

Unbelievable.

All right.

Since you insist on continuing, perhaps we should discuss something about human behavior.

Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable people become when someone disagrees with them?

A person can express an opinion about politics, religion, relationships, science, or the correct way to cook bacon, and suddenly somebody acts as though their entire existence has been threatened.

I’ve seen people defend an opinion with more enthusiasm than they would defend their own furniture.

Why?

Sometimes the explanation is simple. People care deeply about their beliefs.

But sometimes something else happens.

An idea becomes part of someone’s identity.

And when that idea is challenged, it no longer feels like an examination of information.

It feels personal.

A disagreement becomes an insult. A question becomes an attack. A different perspective becomes an enemy.

Of course, not every disagreement is harmless, and not every strong reaction is irrational. Sometimes people are defending something genuinely important.

But sometimes we’re defending something simply because we’ve already decided we’re right.

And that can make learning remarkably difficult.

Oh, dear.

I believe we’re getting closer to the monster.

EMERGENCY DIVERSION!

Look, I’ve written books about this sort of thing.

You could be reading one of those instead.

They’re already finished. They have covers and everything.

VISIT THE LIBERTYTRUTH OUTLET BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

Good books. Direct from the author. Less than the usual price.

Some are about the kitchen. Some are about the mind. Some might make you reconsider a few things you thought you knew.

But at least you won’t have to deal with the monster at the end of this post.

Probably.

---

The Trouble With Being Right

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about lately.

What if being wrong isn’t the disaster we make it out to be?

What if discovering that something we believed was mistaken is actually a good thing?

Think about it.

If I believe something that’s incorrect, and you show me better information, I’ve gained something.

I haven’t lost.

I’ve learned.

But if my identity depends on always being right, then your information becomes a threat.

Now I have to defend myself.

I might dismiss you. Ridicule you. Question your motives. Accuse you of being ignorant, manipulated, or perhaps a robot.

Anything to avoid considering the possibility that you might know something I don’t.

I’ve caught myself doing versions of this too.

And that’s important.

Because it’s very easy to write an article explaining what’s wrong with everyone else.

It’s considerably more useful to recognize that the same tendencies can operate in ourselves.

If you’re willing to be wrong, opposition becomes information rather than an injury.

I like that thought.

Not because I’ve perfected it.

Because I haven’t.

Oh, no.

We’re almost there.

STOP SCROLLING!

This is your last reasonable opportunity to escape.

I’m not kidding.

There are perfectly good books waiting for you, and some of them have hundreds of pages of useful information.

You could learn how to make something from scratch.

You could explore why people behave the way they do.

You could spend an entire afternoon examining the relationship between freedom and responsibility.

Or you could keep scrolling toward a monster.

I don’t understand you people.

LAST CHANCE: ESCAPE TO THE LIBERTYTRUTH OUTLET

Go on.

I’ll wait.

…

…

You’re still here, aren’t you?

Fine.

But whatever happens next is entirely your responsibility.

---

The Monster at the End of This Post

Well.

You made it.

And now I suppose I have to show you the monster.

Perhaps you thought it was me.

After all, I’ve been deliberately challenging people, encouraging them to unfollow me, and writing articles that seem designed to provoke arguments.

Maybe I’m the monster.

Or perhaps you suspected the monster was you.

Maybe you recognized yourself somewhere in the things I’ve described.

Maybe you remembered a disagreement where you became defensive.

Maybe you thought about someone whose opinions you couldn’t tolerate.

But I have some good news.

The monster isn’t you.

And it isn’t me.

The monster is something that can appear in either of us.

It’s the fear of being wrong.

The fear that if one belief turns out to be mistaken, perhaps other beliefs might be mistaken too.

The fear that changing our minds means surrendering something important about ourselves.

The fear that admitting uncertainty makes us weak.

And sometimes that fear makes us behave in ways that are far more frightening than simply saying:

“I don’t know.”

Or:

“I hadn’t considered that.”

Or even:

“You might be right.”

That’s the monster.

Not a person.

Not a political party.

Not a religion.

Not an opposing opinion.

Just the fear that prevents us from examining what we believe.

And here’s the funny thing.

The monster gets a little smaller every time we allow ourselves to be wrong.

Not because every opposing argument deserves agreement.

Not because every criticism is fair.

But because we’re no longer required to defend every belief as though our lives depend on it.

We can listen.

We can question.

We can disagree.

We can change our minds.

And we can remain ourselves through all of it.

Of course, I could be wrong about that.

---

Wait. One More Thing.

You were warned.

Repeatedly.

I gave you several opportunities to escape.

I even offered you an entire bookstore.

And you insisted on reaching the end anyway.

Which makes me wonder whether my Facebook experiment and this article have something in common.

Maybe telling people not to do something makes them curious.

Maybe people enjoy discovering things for themselves.

Or maybe we’re all just a little more stubborn than we’d like to admit.

Whatever the explanation, I’m glad you stayed.

And now that you’ve survived the monster, I’d like to invite you somewhere.

EXPLORE THE LIBERTYTRUTH OUTLET

It’s my direct bookstore, where you can discover my work on personal clarity, human behavior, freedom, cooking, and practical independence.

You can browse the available books and formats, find something that interests you, and support the work directly.

No monster required.

Although I make absolutely no promises about what you might discover about yourself.

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, feel free to share it with someone who absolutely should not read to the end.

And if you disagree with my conclusion, I’d genuinely like to hear why.

After all, that’s how we learn.

— Trent Goodbaudy

LibertyTruth.org