When I call myself a human being, I don't just mean it in the physical aspect, I also mean it in terms of spirituality and vulnerability. I am probably the most sensitive person that I know of. This is either because I know myself very well or that I don't know the people around me well enough. I feel like this is an important topic to write about because of everything that is currently going on in the world. As a human being, it is inevitable to make mistakes throughout life. My father always said that mistakes are better avoided: Although I agree with him in extreme life-threatening and dangerous, irreversible situations, otherwise, I strongly disagree. I feel like mistakes help to build our character while forcing ourselves to rewrite ourselves in preparation for the coming future.
I make mistakes, and that's okay.
This is a very important sentence that I feel must be regularly repeated in one's self. Personally, I don't want to live my life off of what someone else regards is right, or wrong, is moral, or immoral. I want to figure that out for myself, even if I make mistakes along the way. My brother likes to ask this philosophical question to try and tie everything to religion: Have you ever thought about where your morals come from? How do you know that you have the right set of ethics? But the truth is, we cannot act like we don't all share a similar standard when it comes to morality and that psychopaths are the minority so their morals will always be in the wrong. And even when they are not in the minority, there is a clear difference between what is right and what is wrong. I came to this conclusion through the analysis of previous civilizations where even when cannibalism was socially acceptable, the cannibals did not eat the people from their own tribe or social circle. This draws a sort of red line which indicates that it is, to an extent, wrong. I do recognize that my logic is pretty simplified, but then again, this is not an academic essay. I also believe that
Some mistakes are bigger than others.
And I feel that it is important to distinguish the bigger mistakes from the smaller ones. Mistakes are not limited to humans, but when an animal makes a mistake it usually comes down to life or death. Humans do not have to be this way. I feel like we, as humans, are better than that, and so as irrational as it may seem... I do not believe in the death penalty, under any circumstance. Even if something is intended in the same moment, or even five seconds, mins, or years after, it can still be regarded as a mistake if it has the potential to turn into a regret. Regret is often a product of a mistake as it signifies it's acknowledgment. Mistakes should be experienced, acknowledged, and learned from. Different people have different scales of mistakes, and so people should not be measured in the same way. I cannot compare the mistakes of a mentally challenged person to those of a neurotypical person.
Mistakes grant certain experiences that help shape identity.
As long as I make a mistake and learn from it, I can grow as an individual. With each mistake comes a learning experience. Although the bigger mistakes can act as hard pills to swallow, when we get through it, they better us as we are confronted with the harshness of reality; hit with the repercussions while being forced to step-up. I've heard a saying that goes "the measure of intelligence lies within the ability to change," and humans are supposedly the most intelligent beings on earth. Although I would rather not make a mistake because of the possibility of harsh repercussions, I will always try to accept the fact that I made a mistake when I do so and remind myself that I will make plenty more as long as I live, and then work towards a change.
My identity is constantly changing,
But I feel like these changes are important to record, and this is another reason which contributed to the formation of this blog. It is important to learn, grow, and change, but it is also important to be able to look back and see where you started out, and how you've changed. Looking at my older posts, I get a sense of pride when seeing contradictions in my current views versus my older ones, and when these views solidify, I will always update my blog about them. My environment and social circle are always changing, and with that, I will continue to change. This is what makes me a person. An individual.
With that being said,
I will always try to be a better person.
When I say this I don't mean better than someone else, but rather, than myself either in the past or current moment. The thing about me is that I recognize my sensitivity, and so I also always try to consider other people in that sense, just in case they are putting up a front which I can't see past. I would never want to intentionally hurt anyone, just like I would never want to be intentionally hurt. On the other hand, I also have to recognize that how people process and react to certain situations is going to be different from the ways in which I do, and so misunderstandings and pain are also inevitable. Mistakes, differences, and the pain that is caused as a result all make us unique individuals and have brought us this far as a species.
Sincerely,
Ed the Bedhead
PS.
I am, after all, the result of a mistake. ;)