Lately I have really been thinking a lot about mistakes and bad decisions. Every single person makes them, some seem easily forgivable and some not so much…but how do we determine that?
What exactly is a mistake? It sounds like something you did wrong, but what defines ‘the wrong’? The law? My experience with the law has been less than stellar when I hoped they would help me with what I thought was ‘wrong’.
Dictionary.com defines mistake as an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgement caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge etc. It also says it’s a misunderstanding or misconception.
So if you had bad judgment, then it’s a mistake. Who defines the bad judgement?
Can something be a mistake if it was done intentionally, without understanding or caring about the consequences?
If nobody knows, is it still a mistake?
If we do better once we know better, does ‘knowing better’ now make what we did when we ‘didn’t know better’ a mistake?
Where is the tipping point? We all make mistakes and bad decisions, but when does someone become a ‘bad person’ because of their mistakes and bad decisions?
Once you are a ‘bad person’, when and how or can you ever become a ‘good person’ again? Or are you now a bad person for life?
Imagine being labelled a ‘bad person’ forever, does that make you care less about doing the right thing? Or does that put you in a debt that you can never ever repay?
I know for myself and my bad decisions, I would never want to be a person who all hope had been lost and was a lost cause.
I also wouldn’t want to be trapped in debt for the rest of my life because of it.
But when I think about the bad decisions others have made which have personally affected me…while I may not be bitter anymore, I certainly have a hard time trusting and seeing the good person inside.
Would love to hear your thoughts…