Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
People make mistakes.
I make mistakes. Lots of mistakes. Big ones, small one, insignificant ones, and uncharacteristic ones. I could make a mistake entirely against my ethics, thinking it's okay and not giving it a second check or resorting to another opinion. I know there are people out there who will hold my judgment skills to the highest nth degree. Only recently have I realized how ridiculous that is.
The most honest politician can tell a lie. The most charitable Christian can say hateful things. In this day and age of "Never forgive, never forget," we are held to unreasonable standards of how we should behave at all times. In short, we are not allowed to misbehave, overreact, lose sense of self, or explode. We are not allowed to be human.
Of course we should accept responsibility for our errors, and sometimes we should pay the consequences for our actions. But how far do the consequences go, and for how little? If a student cheats on a test, not believing he is cheating because his other two classmates told him they did it and it was okay, is he a horrible person or a temporarily misguided one? Whatever happened to atonement? When did it merely become axe and block and blatant execution for a crime?
I know some things are black and white, and what I am talking about is definitely a dimension of relative morality. And that can get really, really messy. But when I make a mistake or say the wrong thing at my new job, I am told it's okay - that I'm learning. But when does "you're learning" evolve into "you should know better"? How many warnings are too many? When is it time to stop forgiving or forgetting?
It's all confusing to me, and the worst thoughts to have when I'm about to take a shower, go to bed, and prepare for my girlfriend's friend's wedding. I don't want to have to think about this. I've made mistakes, some seemingly going against everything I stand for, or any common sense. so society claims. Now, more than ever tonight, they're haunting me.
And I just want to sleep.
I make mistakes. Lots of mistakes. Big ones, small one, insignificant ones, and uncharacteristic ones. I could make a mistake entirely against my ethics, thinking it's okay and not giving it a second check or resorting to another opinion. I know there are people out there who will hold my judgment skills to the highest nth degree. Only recently have I realized how ridiculous that is.
The most honest politician can tell a lie. The most charitable Christian can say hateful things. In this day and age of "Never forgive, never forget," we are held to unreasonable standards of how we should behave at all times. In short, we are not allowed to misbehave, overreact, lose sense of self, or explode. We are not allowed to be human.
Of course we should accept responsibility for our errors, and sometimes we should pay the consequences for our actions. But how far do the consequences go, and for how little? If a student cheats on a test, not believing he is cheating because his other two classmates told him they did it and it was okay, is he a horrible person or a temporarily misguided one? Whatever happened to atonement? When did it merely become axe and block and blatant execution for a crime?
I know some things are black and white, and what I am talking about is definitely a dimension of relative morality. And that can get really, really messy. But when I make a mistake or say the wrong thing at my new job, I am told it's okay - that I'm learning. But when does "you're learning" evolve into "you should know better"? How many warnings are too many? When is it time to stop forgiving or forgetting?
It's all confusing to me, and the worst thoughts to have when I'm about to take a shower, go to bed, and prepare for my girlfriend's friend's wedding. I don't want to have to think about this. I've made mistakes, some seemingly going against everything I stand for, or any common sense. so society claims. Now, more than ever tonight, they're haunting me.
And I just want to sleep.
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