Upon re-reading my last blog, I noticed two spelling errors that despite several edits, had slipped by me. “Tenants” should have been “tenets” and “meeted out” should have been “meted out”. Much to my chagrin, the blog went out with these clear mistakes. I’m sure it wasn’t the first time. Spellcheck didn’t catch them because these are actual words, spelled correctly. Had they been misspelled, auto-correct would have caught them.
That started me thinking. What if our lives had an “auto-correct” function? What if when we messed up, in word or deed, it would be automatically made right on the spot? A little like going back in time a few minutes, or a “do over”. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Maybe. What if our mistakes teach us to become better people? What if they lead us to greater understanding, improved relationships, higher levels of consciousness? Am I really making a case for human error? Yes, I think so.
I’m going to omit from my discussion human error that leads to the death of innocent people at the hands of someone entrusted with their safety. I would prefer to eliminate that altogether if it were possible. But isn’t it true that we all learn from our mistakes? No, unfortunately not all of us. But let’s hope that most of us do. And when we learn from them, we generally become more aware of our actions and their consequences. We ultimately become better people.
Think back on some mistakes you have made, ones that had consequences with weight to them. How did it alter your life and did it change you in a positive way?
Some missteps in our lives have consequences that are irreparable. A broken relationship where the other person is not willing to forgive and forget. These are tough lessons with a big price to pay. Your life will never be the same.
We have no control over other people and how they will react to us when we have hurt them. It takes maturity to own up to our mistakes, ask for forgiveness and hope for the best, knowing that we may ultimately lose. Then we have to move on, wiser if not happier.
How can you learn lessons in life if you never mess up? Do you learn when you do everything right? Of course not.
So, what did I learn from the spelling errors in my latest blog? Instead of reading it back four times, make it five or six. But do you know what? It will happen again anyway. Some mistakes are unavoidable. We are human, and that’s what we do. We mess up. Try to keep the big mistakes to a minimum. You’ll ultimately live a better life.