Saturday 7 June 2014

Correcting Yesterday



Back then in the primary school, after every class work or assignments, we were always required to do our corrections especially when you did not get all your questions right. After the corrections, we will take our books to the teacher who will check it out and mark it and write 'Seen'. Looking back now at those days when all you need to do to correct something you got wrong is just to copy it from the board into your notes and submit for marking, you just wish life is that simple.

Sometimes we look back at those times when we took some decisions that altered our strides or defined certain unconvienient situations we are in today and we are like "if I can just go back, I will definitely correct that." Its just that life is not a mathematics or English language class assignment, so there might not be a board to copy our corrections from.

Does this now mean that once we have gone wrong we just have to remain that way and lick our wounds for life? Well...not really! It must be noted though that there are some mess-ups that will leave their scars forever. However, I believe all mistakes can be corrected. Even in life. Okay let us look at that a little bit closely.

Back then at the primary school, when we get a question wrong, the teacher takes us through the question again and we see the correct way to do it. The teacher then requires us to copy the correct analysis into our notes and submit for checking which he/she will endorse once it is corrected. The truth is that what is important is not the sum you copied into your notes for final checking, it is the one in your mind registered. No matter how much you copy the correct the one, if the one in your mind is not corrected, then you as good as you were when you got it wrong the first time. And it is the same with life. What is important and what will determine our peace is not the fact that we have been punished for taking a wrong step yesterday, it is the question of whether we have learnt our lessons. Have we looked critically at that wrong step we took? Have we discovered the point where we got it wrong? For some wrong steps we take, the remote cause is mostly earlier than the event itself. After knowing where we got it wrong, have we known how to do it right? As young as I am I have discovered that till you get certain things right life will always bring the same questions before you albeit in different forms. After discovering our points of errors and situations, we should just correct our mind and in more clearer terms, renew our minds.

Yesterday is always a day we will never see again...but its challenges may well come in other forms today. So if you got something wrong yesterday, correct it in your mind first today before trying to correct it in the physical and if you cannot, prepare for other challenges that will come along that trail. Once you get today and tomorrow right, you will have corrected yesterday.