The Joys of Being Wrong About Yourself

Learning that self-discovery is a process, not a punishment

Illustration: Daron Nefcy

In February I was introduced to a man, a successful man by any standard, a man called Rupert (and naturally by “introduced,” I mean I heard him talk about himself on Radiolab for three minutes). Rupert is your average 71-year-old podcast guest, probably, except for one thing: He has gone almost his…