Correct or right?

 Does the title confuse you? To begin with, let us look at the difference of meaning in these two near synonyms. Hope you know that no two words are exact synonyms. There is always a shade of difference as far as meaning goes. A 'slim' girl most like; a 'thin' girl many dislike, right?

So let us look at our two words. 'Correct' refers more to errors. 'Right' has more of positivity built in. Our choices, be it of career, books, people, are 'right' rather than 'correct'. We prefer the 'right' direction, right!?!

Well, let me analyse the difference by giving you another example. If you have a child at home, and the kid will not go off to sleep unless the bedtime story ritual is followed, should you, or should not you, tell Aesop's fables, Anderson's fairy tales?

Well, there are people who argue that it is not 'correct' to tell children such false stories. Their argument is animals do not talk! Are not, moreover, fairy tales far away from reality? Well, this argument may be 'correct', but it is not 'right'.

Fables, fairy tales teach children very many life lessons indirectly, and in an amusing way. Such stories, moreover, make their intellectual and imaginative capacities better. Their visualisation improves. Their concentration gets better. Most important, their communication attains a strong base as they get a lot of language exposure by listening to stories, the narrativization, the dialogues involved in story-telling.

Is it then 'right' to be 'correct' and jump on to the band wagon of some recent, half-baked fad regarding child rearing, and deprive the child the happy, intimate feel of nestling next to the most loved adult which adds in a huge way to the protective feel, making the child happy and healthy?

Well, in my opinion, most often in life, it is better to be 'right' than 'correct'. 'Right' has in it an in-built sense of the good, the ethical, while 'correct' as in 'politically correct' is more hypocritical, however 'smart'!  So the choice is yours when to be 'correct' or to be 'right' is the question.

Pratima@'Right' is legally and ethically right as well, which makes you spend a lifetime happily, while 'correct' may just fetch you a few brownie points. Hardly very important, right?