Aren’t you glad you’re human?
Me too!
I know this sounds like a ridiculous question when there’re no options to be anything other than human. From one earthling to another, being human is good.
To agree that we’re all humans is to agree that we all make mistakes. The tenacity to screw up relationships and things is an attribute we humans share.
We make snafus, flubs, blunders, boo-boos, or errors; that’s what we do. To error is absolutely human.
We boast about our differences in appearance, culture, and ancestral history. It’s true we have these differences and others, but because we’re made in God’s image, we have more in common than not.
One of the hallmark commonalities is our imperfect nature; we’re imperfect creatures; and we all make mistakes. It’s impossible to categorize or name them all.
Some days I make brain-fog mistakes: forgetting birthdays, names, numbers, dates—you name it.
Don’t let others make you feel terrible enough to stick your head in the sand for making a mistake. We may apologize for the slip-up but not for being human.
Like you, I make it a priority to resolve any miscommunication or misunderstanding with family and friends. It’s important to take care of personal fumbles.
What about public mistakes?
Even with spell check and Grammarly, I’m sure you’ve seen a mistake or two in my posts. Even the premier newspapers and newscasters make errors.
We fix old errors, and when new ones pop up we fix those.
People may be expected and required to be perfect, but they aren’t.
We can all get that ‘I-must-be-perfect’ monkey off our backs because no one is perfect.
Whew!
Don’t you feel better?
We’re not admitting defeat or accepting a lower standard when we say I’m not perfect; I’m human. Being imperfect is nothing to boast about when striving to be the best we can be. But because we share attributes and flaws, we can better understand and empathize with one another. We sympathize through common experiences and disappointments.
Being too critical or judgmental of others for non-fatal, occasional, or once-in-a-blue moon mistakes is unrealistic or extraterrestrial.
Making mistakes is the art of being human. Or is it being human is the art of making mistakes? In either case, mistakes are a part of the human experience and equation.
Even when we try our best, sometimes we make mistakes.
For those who say they’ve never made a mistake, really? Honestly?
They say it takes a big person to admit to their mistakes.
How many times have we heard if first, you don’t succeed, try, try again? People who learn new things are apt to make mistakes while learning.
A mistake is on-the-job training that leads to experience to know and do better. How can we achieve personal and spiritual growth without making mistakes and understanding others who do the same?
We can embrace our errors and create a learning opportunity.
Here are a few ways to learn from the art of mistakes:
Take responsibility for the mishap or action and make necessary apologies or corrective actions.
Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Admit that you’re not perfect, and continue to do your best.
Encourage yourself and others when mistakes are made.
Joe Abercrombie said, “I have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.”
Be well.