“Mistakes are the growing pains of wisdom, the assessments we pay on our stock of experience, the raw material of error to be transformed into higher living. Without them there would be no individual growth, no progress, no conquest. Mistakes are the knots, the tangles, the broken threads, the dropped stitches in the web of our living. They are the misdeals in judgment, our unwise investments in morals, the profit and loss account of wisdom. They are the misleading bypaths from the straight road of truth—and truth in our highest living is but the accuracy of the soul.
Human fallibility, weakness, pettiness, folly and sin are all—mistakes. They are to be accepted as mortgages of error, to be redeemed by wiser living. They should never weakly be taken as justifying bankruptcy of effort. Even a great mistake is only an episode—never a whole life.” ~ William George Jordan
When it comes to the truth and the expression of wisdom, you either hit your target or miss your mark. When your aim is sure, you know it: the thoughts flow freely. The words come easily. The right move is evident. When your scope is not sighted-in properly, you likewise feel the repercussions in the form of unrelieved tension, frustration and diminished perspective.
I remember my amazement upon hearing from a bible scholar that the word “sin” in the Bible was translated from the word “hamartia” (ἁμαρτία), a Greek term that means “to miss the mark.” I appreciate this definition as it strips away many of the religious overlays that tend to complicate if not obfuscate the understanding of wisdom and truth. The tendency is to assume that “missing the mark” relates to a temporal moral code held by the individual, but I personally cannot shake the idea that there is an underlying, unifying and eternal pattern of truth to which any individual, every individual can hew and from which each and every one of us is hewn.
True science is the knowledge or awareness of that vast matrix of truth. Human opinion, beliefs and convictions are valueless if they miss the mark; their only saving grace is if they lead an individual, or mankind as a whole, closer to an understanding of the truth by serving as a temporary symbol or bridge in understanding.
We human beings have made many mistakes along the way, one of which is the persistent tendency to throw our arms up in despair when mistakes are discovered. “Why me!?!” cries the errant one, mistaken in his view or assumption, particularly if he has invested a lot in the poorly aimed line of thought. For some, despair turns to despondency while for others it morphs into denial. “I never make mistakes!”
You and I are bound to make mistakes in our discovery of the truth and in our passion to reveal wisdom. We mustn’t see mistakes as cause for giving up. It is important that your mistakes, as Jordan put it so eloquently: “are to be accepted as mortgages of error, to be redeemed by wiser living” rather than swept into the dark recesses of your mind. As in archery and riflery, your aim can and will improve with diligent and well-constructed practice.
Exactly how that should look for you is an individual matter, for there is not one set of rules that describe the wise course for every situation. Wisdom is the dynamic application of the principles of truth in relation to a specific problem at a particular time. Its expression requires sensitivity, honesty, humility and courage. Moreover, it requires a tireless dedication to higher living.
It is easy to live a whole life fumbling around in the dank catacombs of ignorance, but foolish is the man who consigns himself to the conviction that he cannot be redeemed from a life of missing the target – not in some mysterious afterlife, but here and now, while he is living – and begin to live a life in harmony with the truth. Your mistakes can only ruin your life if you fail or refuse to recognize them and perhaps more importantly if you fail or refuse to see the underlying orientation in your heart and mind that led to the mistake. Realigning these deep convictions is the means by which you improve your aim and restore the “accuracy of your soul.”
Gregory Hake 
I agree with your definition of “true science” – great post!
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It is so very important to get to the truth behind ones mistakes. Without correcting the underlying orientation of the heart, the same mistakes are bound to be created over and over again. These are clues and cues to do some serious inventory of the heart and once again find a deep place of honesty within to be able to begin fresh. Thank you for presenting this in a way that offers very practical steps to a life of greatness.
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It really makes sense that if you want to be good at something, you just practice, practice, practice. If you’re learning the piano and you play a wrong note, it’s not cause for shame or denial. You just try again, perhaps go a little slower or read the music a little more carefully. The same is true of life – a mistake just lets us know that we didn’t play in tune with others/life and all it requires is an adjustment.
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I remember your post where you wrote the explanation of missing the mark. I too was stunned by this simple and sensible explanation of sin. When we live from our highest self we will still make mistakes, miss the mark. Our aim should never be to make no mistakes. I agree if we live from this basis there would be little progress as fear would be the driver. I love the thought that “Even a great mistake is only an episode—never a whole life.” The concern has to be doing the best you know to do and always stay humble, embracing the fact, there is more to learn or sometimes unlearn.Thank you for your enlightening posts.
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I think when you are truly aiming to give your best shot, a mistake loses all of its negative connotations and becomes an instrument of instruction. Gone is the shame, the remorse, the guilt and your mind is uncluttered to observe the nuances of your calculation. Mistakes that occur when you aren’t even at the shooting range are a whole different matter and need to be dealt with properly due to the injuries they cause to the innocent.
It is in the here and now where we live and function, and this fact you bring up and center on does away with all the entangling rationale that only serve to excuse us from being responsible for giving our daily, moment by moment, best.
Applause to you for writing clearly on such a delicate issue—–g’day!
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Failure to rectify (or redeem) a mistake is actually a greater mistake than the first, compounding the difficulties. Seen this way, it makes no sense to delay when course correction can be made. Great posts!
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I appreciate your care to set a balance here, Gregg. There are many dimensions to this topic, and its implications are so loaded in people’s hearts – ego, shame, tension and self-deception in abundance. The fear of making mistakes is very near the peak of motivation for many, and undoubtedly a healthy attitude toward the matter of learning from errors is crucial. On the other hand it doesn’t help to glorify mistakes or to insist on the inevitability of making mistakes. Often you hear statements like, “We’re human,” meaning that we’re flawed, and then the next step is some form of “…and isn’t it wonderful?!” Well, not necessarily! And of course there are those mistakes from which one does not or possibly cannot recover, and an appropriate level of concern about that is part of the fabric of wisdom.
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Our development of character creates a compass that we can use to find our way as we recover from mistakes. Our strength of character developed in the smallest areas of our lives, beginning in the earliest years, develops a backbone of strength we depend on when rough times come, even as a results of our own missteps.
The first steps are admitting the error in our judgment, paying the price with out complaint or blame and taking the responsibility to right our ship. The next step is to continue our journey, with increased accuracy and determination.
This series has been amazing, thanks so much.
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