I was wrong.
How often do we say that? Receive that gift from others? Hear those we look up to admit it? More than a thousand years before Descartes said, “I think therefore I am”, Augustine sagely concluded: “I err, therefore I am.” Truly, to err is to be human. We break things, hurt people, believe things we later learn were wrong, have unseen and seen errors in our thinking, and the list goes on. How freeing would it be to feel full permission to admit “I am wrong”, without shame or blame? How uplifting would it be for our leaders to do likewise, without caveat or qualification?
I have been painfully wrong in relationships, off-base in my views about the “other” political party, remiss in thinking racism was no longer a problem, erroneous concerning what matters most in life, gone awry in my parenting, been woefully mistaken in my judgments about others … need I go on? As silly as it might sound, it feels truly cleansing to share those. Does that resonate with you? Do you see how amazing and all around life-giving it is to be free enough from the prison of perfection to authentically say, “I was wrong”?
Life isn’t about perfection, but participation. It’s not about being right, but being beloved. It’s infinitely better to be connected in caring relationships, than it is to be correct. Life is like a beautiful tie dye t-shirt, here’s to wearing it proudly!
Hugs & Love,
Lang
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