Mistake...

Everything in life is relative. Anything is good just because it is not bad and if there wasn’t anything bad, there wouldn’t have been anything good. This probably seems to be the idea on which all optimists thrive. Similarly, mistake is that relative which keeps the element of prudence alive in this world. It in fact goes ahead of the good-bad relation and not only keeps prudence in existence, but also promotes it. Mistake is an act that is one of the main sources of learning and experience. Still mistake is one thing everyone wants to avoid. Why? Probably because mistake leads you to where you don’t want to be, but again, unless you come to such a situation where you don’t want to be, you never realize where you want to be.

            The essence of mistakes lies in the fact that the one who commits it never realizes while committing it that he is committing a mistake and the realization is possible only when the mistake is committed and looked upon by the same person through a neutral eye. Quite often if we look back into the past, we can’t help but laugh at our follies, at our thoughts and actions over such trivial matters which seemed to be the entire world while the commission of mistake. Probably I am talking mostly about a stereotyped notion of mistake but that is what is in my mind right now. Realization of mistake, however, is just the first step towards redemption.

            Jamming of thought process, too much of expectations, a fragile emotional structure, loss of hope, depression and being sucked in by the Murphy’s law are often the symptoms and facilitating factors of a mistake. A low score in a trivial test, an exaggerated and over-sensitive hurt of ego by a mere insignificant act - these all seem to be as big as the entire world and obviously you don’t realize the mistake simply because it is being committed. But on passage of time, when things of much more relevance, gravity and importance start bothering you, you will definitely laugh at such mistakes whenever looked back upon.

            The secret, according to me, lies in analysing any such situation with a mechanical view devoid of all ‘practical’ considerations of emotion and bias. Sometimes I wish we could be just machines with a thought process. That would make us enjoy all the benefits one could get from mistakes without actually undergoing the effects or rather the symptoms of mistakes. But again, we all are humans after all and what life will that be without mistakes, without the learning through realization of prudence as against superficial learning. Without mistakes, we would miss out on the unparalleled joy that we get on overcoming mistakes and by proving wrong the sadistic side of ours.

            Even life is nothing but about improvements and improvements are not possible without downfalls. Gravity makes everything that goes up come down but it doesn’t lift them up again. Things need to be forced against the gravity to overcome it in order to rise and this analogous force is nothing but the constant struggle to realize, overcome and ensure the non-commission of mistakes committed. So let us be energetic, rational, self controlled, thoughtful and learn to strike a balance; let us be an alchemist and turn the base mistakes into golden assets of experience and prudence.