Recent events in my town have spawned some very thought provoking dialogue in my circle of friends/family/acquaintances. I have discussed these events with neighbors, friends, my spouse, my children, and even co-workers, and one common theme in each conversation has been the distinction between a mistake and a decision. We have all made mistakes in our lives, which we hopefully learn from and do not repeat, but what happens when a mistake is repeated – more than a few times? Is that still considered a mistake, or does it become a decision, a choice?
A mistake can present us with golden nuggets from which we are able to learn and grow, but what happens when we end up with a bucket full of golden nuggets mined from the same repeated mistake? Have we actually learned anything, or are we just walking blindly through life with a bucket full of fool’s gold making bad decision after bad decision, without consequence, until one day someone calls our bluff. How do we react when that happens? Do we recognize that our repeated mistakes are actually poorly disguised decisions, or do we continue to deny this fact? Do we accept responsibility for our actions, or do we shirk it? Are we remorseful? If so, is that remorse the result of our actions, or is it the result of the consequences our actions? The difference between the two is very often overlooked.
Mistakes repeated are a series of interconnected bad decisions, perpetrated by someone who is either ignorant to the error of their ways, or someone that just does not give a damn. And while a single mistake does not define us, repeated mistakes, the bad decisions or choices we make over and over again, eventually do. Our decisions reveal our character. Our character, not to be confused with our reputation, is who we truly are. Our reputation is simply a veil around our character, it’s who people think we are based on what we let them see. When I mentioned this to my children, they had a hard time seeing the difference. And maybe that’s ok, because they are young and have yet to experience the wide spectrum of humanity where these inconsistencies exist. Or maybe it is because their reputations are congruent with their character, and their youthful innocence prevents that from being anything else! Whatever the reason, I hope they are wise enough to learn, grow, and not repeat the mistakes I know they will surely make in their lifetime, because people who choose to repeat their mistakes unknowingly reveal the true character by which they are judged!
Motherhead 