Sumber ilustrasi: Magnific
18 Mei 2026 11.37 WIB – Akar
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Desanomia [18.05.2026] Is it possible for the word “mistake” to be erased from our vocabulary? Is a world without mistakes possible? If such questions are brought into public discussion, perhaps they will create their own debate. Some people will say it is impossible, with all their arguments and reasons. Others, with hesitation, may still see some room for possibility. Others may think the question itself is strange, unnecessary, or even absurd. But is that really so? Has questioning itself lost its power and its right to exist?
Actually, raising such questions comes from the emergence of many problems in our shared life that are rarely approached seriously enough for adequate explanations to be obtained. What is discussed here is a single word that is deeply feared by those living inside certain systems. Students and university learners, for example. Or members of a community. Why? Because once an action is declared “wrong”, many consequences may immediately follow. Why does this happen? What is actually taking place? What are the effects of all this?
These are the matters we wish to explore more clearly. What follows is a reflection on mistakes, based on a desire to understand more closely what a mistake truly is.
Is there anyone among us who has never made a mistake at all? It seems that every person has made mistakes, whether small or large. It is not excessive to say that mistakes are attached to human life itself, because human beings act within certain conditions filled with limits and limitations. Human beings do not know everything, do not see all consequences, are not always able to control their impulses, and are not always in a clear state when making decisions. Therefore, mistakes are not something foreign to humanity, but part of human reality itself.
However, the main issue is not whether human beings have made mistakes or not. The more important question is: what does a person do after realising the mistake? It is at this point that the measure of wisdom begins to appear. A person who recognises a mistake and is able to correct it is actually showing a higher capacity than merely appearing flawless.
Since ancient times, wisdom has never been understood as a condition without mistakes, but as the ability to return to what is right after deviating from it. A person who never appears wrong is not necessarily better. It may simply be that the mistakes are hidden, denied, or covered carefully. Therefore, the image of being without fault is not the same as virtue.
Mistakes show that human beings are unfinished creatures. Every action carries the possibility of being right or wrong. Every decision is born from a certain point of view which may itself be limited. Because of this, human life is not a straight journey without turns, but a process of learning through correction, experience, and the courage to change direction.
Here lies the difference between those called wise and those on the opposite side, or simply ordinary people. Both can make mistakes. What distinguishes them is not the existence or absence of mistakes, but the way they treat those mistakes. Wise people make mistakes into doors of learning. Ordinary people make mistakes into things that must be hidden.
Hiding mistakes may seem like an effort to save oneself. But in reality, such action only prolongs the mistake. A mistake that is not admitted does not stop as a single event. It changes into lies, self-defence, manipulation, and eventually becomes a pattern of life. From one hidden mistake, many other mistakes are born.
On the other hand, admitting and correcting mistakes opens the possibility of renewal. Mistakes no longer become burdens that must continuously be hidden, but become materials for shaping oneself. Here, mistakes undergo a change of meaning: they are no longer merely stains, but opportunities to see oneself more clearly.
Because of this, correcting mistakes is a deep act. It requires courage, because human beings must face themselves honestly. It is easier to blame situations, other people, or fate than to admit that there is something within oneself that must be corrected. Wisdom is born when human beings are able to pass through this tendency of self-defence.
Goodness is not something completed once and forever. When a person becomes better, virtue becomes new every day. This means goodness is not some dead object possessed permanently, but a movement that must constantly be renewed. To become good means continuously opening oneself to correction and formation.
An ideal person in this understanding is not a perfect human without cracks. An ideal person is one who can still be corrected. There is flexibility of heart, openness of mind, and willingness to move toward what is more right. Precisely because human beings can still change, hope remains alive.
On the contrary, a low person is one who hides mistakes. Lowness here is not about social status, wealth, or education, but about an inner condition closed to truth. When someone loves self-image more than truth itself, mistakes will continue to grow. Evil appears not only because of mistakes, but because mistakes are maintained and protected.
Hearing the truth and then following it is a difficult matter. Many people can hear advice, criticism, or teachings that are correct. But hearing does not automatically change life. What is difficult is allowing truth to shift habits, interests, pride, and old ways that have long felt comfortable.
The same applies when human beings see goodness in others. Seeing goodness is easy, but rejoicing in following it is not always easy. Sometimes the goodness of others creates jealousy, feelings of threat, or reluctance to acknowledge it. Therefore, the ability to follow what is good after seeing it is a sign of a spacious soul.
In this way, wisdom is openness toward true change. It is not merely knowing what is good, but being willing to move toward goodness itself. It is not merely regretting mistakes, but transforming mistakes into foundations for self-renewal. Wisdom does not lie in words, but in the change of attitude after truth has been heard.
The deepest meaning is that human beings are not measured by the absence of mistakes, but by the ability to correct mistakes. So long as human beings can still be corrected, can still learn, and can still follow what is right after hearing it, moral life remains open. What is dangerous is not the human being who once made mistakes, but the human being who closes oneself from the possibility of becoming better.
What do you think? (njd)
Note: This article was made as part of a dedicated effort to bring everyday life around us to our minds.
