Is Being Stubborn A Good Thing?

Ki Tisa After the sin of the Golden Calf, G-d calls the Jews the "stiff neck nation". Moshe in their defense refers to them as the " stiff neck nation." How can their problem be their redemption? Was being stubborn a good thing, or not? Is anything in this world inherently bad?  How do we deal with the seemingly negative emotions or desires we seem to never get away from?