I've already made up my mind, don't confuse me with the facts

Why do we try so hard to convince people that we're right?  One of my dad's favorite joke lines (or maybe he wasn't joking) was "I've already made up my mind, don't confuse me with the facts."  His point, of course, is that the facts, however interesting, are irrelevant.  People believe what they choose to believe, and see what they want to see.

I think that most of us basically know this to be true, so why do we keep trying to get others to see our point of view?  In short, our ego is a very fragile thing, and it constantly is striving to be assured that its awesome.  But here's the nasty trick; the more you feed the ego, the more it needs to be fed.  So we let our ego make decisions for us, like trying to get you to see things from my point of view.  My ego tells me that if I can convince you, I am somehow more valid in my existence.

Well, I would prefer that my ego just mind its own business and let me live my own life.  Validating yourself by the feedback you get from others is a sure way to feel insecure.  I am good person.  I make good choices.  I treat other people well.  If I believe that these statements are true, deep in my heart, then why does it matter whether someone else agrees with them or not?

The sooner we can each feel secure in ourselves, and not need every person we bump into to know how awesome we are, the sooner we can get to work on actually being awesome, and really enjoying it!