MEMO FROM NARA

Committing mistakes is a common practice with all of us. Every day we make some mistake – may be simple or serious. Some are hidden and others are open. Hidden mistakes are not known to others whereas open ones are known to all around us. Generally we feel ashamed of those open mistakes. Is it possible to live without committing mistakes? A big ‘No’ is the answer. In fact, human beings are born to make mistakes and learn from them. What is a mistake? Wrong idea or opinion or incorrect due to ignorance is referred to as mistake. An error, blunder, fault or defect can be also called as a mistake. If we deviate from the stipulated law and order, then also it is a mistake. Spitting in public places, destroying public properties, stealing other’s possessions, committing crime, breaking a queue, and the like activities are considered as mistakes.

 

Writing a wrong answer to a question is a mistake. If there is a mistake in the calculations, it is called as an error. Similarly a blunder is a serious mistake committed due to carelessness. Some mistakes are made as a result of forgetfulness and ignorance. Putting petrol in a diesel car, forgetting train ticket leaving it at home and boarding a train, going to office late every day and many such things are in fact mistakes avoidable but not avoided due to reasons unknown. If we commit such mistakes once, then we may not repeat it. Instead we will be cautious and careful in future.

 

Forgetfulness as indicated earlier is one of the serious reasons for making mistakes. Patience sometimes may help to avoid committing mistakes. Impatient persons cannot think properly so it is possible to err. Experienced persons, mostly elders in a family try to always remind the youngsters to be more patient and think before committing any mistake. Ignoring such advices may lead to make more mistakes. In fact, we all like to be perfect by not committing mistakes. But somehow it doesn’t happen always. Road accidents happen because of someone’s fault. Carelessness due to absent mindedness caused by worries or alcoholism or diversion of attention is the reason for the fault. Mistake once committed has its own consequences. The person who makes a mistake is responsible and has to have the consequences which may be bitter sometimes.

 

Most of the mistakes are judged by concerned authorities. Teachers, professors, parents, police and judges keep an eye on mistakes and award appropriate punishments after fair judgement. Simple mistakes carry simple punishments after fair judgment. Simple mistakes carry simple punishment whereas serious mistakes are punished heavily. Sometimes judgments may go wrong because of paucity of evidences. In such cases options are given for defending. Therefore we have all chances to rectify mistakes if they are not really mistakes.

 

There are instances where someone’s mistake may not appear as mistake to others. Telling lies is a mistake according to the rule book. But sometimes we need to tell lies to escape from dangerous situations as long as the lying is not repeated time and again. In every profession, mistakes are made and rectified and in some cases severe punishment is given so that the mistakes are not repeated. Punishment is a pressure imposed on persons to prevent them not to repeat the mistake. There are other means to mend people not to commit mistakes. Persuasion instead of punishment is the best policy adopted in certain profession. Man may make mistakes but the same man can be trained not to make mistakes in future. A good policy indeed!

 

There are two opinions about mistakes. One is to commit mistake and another is not to do so. George Bernard Shaw once said: A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spend doing nothing. Similarly Niels Bohr, a renowned scientist defined an expert as a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field. So making mistakes is not a mistake as long as we make something out of it. However, let us not venture to make unwanted and unnecessary mistakes in life and suffer. Be careful in doing things patiently to avoid most of the mistakes which normally we commit every day. However, the unavoidable mistakes made will certainly teach us a lesson which we call as experience.