the cost of being right

i heard this news over the radio yesterday

Chinese man sentenced to death for killing toddler after argument over parking space

basically, this woman and her pram was in the way of this man. then, according in some reports, when she refused to move, he beat the woman. and after she fell down, he picked her baby from the pram and slammed the baby to the ground.

the baby died a few days later from the injuries sustained.


to first clarify, there is no doubt in my mind that what this man did was indefensible, and he deserved the stiffest sentence possible, in China's case, death.

a subsequent thought that came to my mind was,

does the woman regret arguing with the man instead of just moving away?


from my perspective, there are 2 possible reactions:

1. the woman places all the blame on the man for killing her innocent daughter. 
she hates the man with every bone in her body. 

and she would have every right to do so.
regardless of what happened between the 2, the man should not have done what he did.


2. the woman regrets facing up to the man. 
blames herself for what happened.



so what if she was right in refusing to be bullied?
so what if the man is wrong, and has been found guilty?
will sentencing the man to death make her feel better or more justified in doing what she did?



will being right or proving her point bring her daughter back?
sometimes, the cost of 那一口气, the cost of making a point, the cost being right is really very high.



no doubt, with hindsight, even fools are wise.
no one knew the man would react the way he did.
plus, what kind of life would it be if we spent our whole lives being pushed around by others?


what should our priority be?



food for thought



experience is learning for your own mistakes
wisdom is learning from other people's experiences 
-confusions