Why Can't We Admit Our Own Mistakes?

It's very common for us not to admit our mistakes and wrong perceptions, specially when someone else points them out. We tend to see it as a dishonor, and scream back, shielding ourselves in our private zone. That's why it's always difficult to say "I'm sorry" and "I was wrong."

I know that many people just criticize in order to harm. But some hard criticism can be normally misunderstood since we've talked into never let anybody diminish us, which is RIGHT. But we must be alert to discern when a critic comes to destroy against one that comes to shed some light on any topic we don't grasp it correctly.

So, what makes us remain stubbornly with wrong premises?

There are variables that move in the background. Some of them might be linked to our specific development through our lifespan. But most of them can be related. They're radically not peculiar unless there could be some traumas.

So, I will detail some of the variable below:

Pride

Pride is our ally but it is also our enemy. It's in the opposite side of the same cord. We tend to think that by saying "sorry," or accepting our mistakes, we give up our dignity. And that's totally false.

There's no more novelty than recognizing when we are wrong. It just makes us wise and create many channels that we can use to improve our ability of analysis.

Way of thinking

When we have lived our live basing on what we see is the only true, that's an evident signal that we must consider to adjust our way of thinking. And not to expel it away, but to look through the glasses of others in order to observe what they are experiencing. That's the most useful approach we can take to give insightful inputs.

Prejudice

Everyone assess anything with some preconceived concepts. What we cannot do and avoid at all times is to let ourselves be guided by our own views without putting them under the observation from the result we got in the field.

Culture

We live in the times when we impose our believes instead of showing what's useful no matter where we get value from. It is sometimes very frustrating when induced ideas just poison our head, and pushing us to never reconsider.

Teaching Children

This is the main purpose of this post. We need to start teaching children to admit their mistakes. As educators, we should never avoid, pointing out mistakes. This is something that some teachers and parents do. They're afraid that such inputs might break the student's spirit. And they end up looking to the other way as if the mistakes didn't happen.

It is understandable the fear that adults feel when they spot students' mistakes. They normally think criticism might just put them down. But it's not criticism. It's learning... It's great when we have somebody in our side pointing when we make fault moves.

When people around students never point out their shortcomings, they just limit their personal development. Students may create a place in their mind where all their convictions linger on, without allowing any new updates that could just enlighten them.

It's not end of the world

Admitting when we are wrong is not the end of the world. On the contrary, it makes us better because we open a learning window.

Great minds in history have never had any problems recognizing when they are wrong. Actually, all of them have welcomed when somebody else corrected them... because at the end, it's not about who has the information. What matters is to let the correct information shine itself.

@edave

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