Yourself?

On Mistakes

Remember the first time you fell?

No I don't remember mine either.

I think everyone makes mistakes from time to time.. It's inevitable. It's unavoidable. I don't think badly of anyone because of mistakes, and I hope that people don't think that of me. A mistake isn't forever.

Some mistakes linger for a long time, some mistakes just right themselves and become jokes that you share with your friends. Some mistakes literally change the world around you. And some mistakes are unavoidable.

But mistakes are often our most important learning points. We can't stand until we've learnt to fall. We can't cure disease until we've dared to try and harmed a few people. We can't keep friends until we've lost a few.

It's interesting though.. how in life everything is pretty much immaterial. No one cares how big your house is, or how generous you are, or how enlightened you are (like those buddhist monks in jin yong stories.)

I there is a trend in life.. The defining characteristic of the memories of a person long past, is how he dealt with his mistakes and caught them. President Clinton commited a major mistake but he admitted it and recovered. President Bush commited a mistake but hasn't admitted it, and still fights and struggles on.

The Jews commited a mistake and up till now, entire religions haven't united. Ariel Sharon is now trying to right a mistake that has cost millions of lives.

Mistakes are a part of life. It's part of the existence, it's part of the growing process. Mistakes are because people are unique and have different perspectives, different circumstances, different mores.

Acknowledging my own mistakes to me is part of accepting and celebrating the diversity of mankind, part of hoping for the vastness of human forgiveness, part of accepting the inevitability of failure, and move forward on the search for success.

For all people celebrating Christmas in 14 days time, when you are all busy buying gifts and writing cards for the people around you. Perhaps you could consider giving forgiveness out as well.

To all the people I've hurt over the years.. I'm sorry.

posted by Downhere. @ 1:41 pm