“I have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing
I never learn is to stop making them.” ―Joe Abercrombie
***
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde wrote: “Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one’s mistakes.”
“To err is human; to forgive, divine,” wrote Alexander Pope some centuries ago. It was true then, and it is even true today. Yes, we always make mistakes whether we like it or not, sapagka’t tayo ay tao lamang, to use the Pilipino cliché.
“Error is not a fault of your knowledge,” John Locke once said, “but a mistake of our judgment giving assent to that which is not true.” Charles Caleb Colton also said, “It is almost as difficult to make a man unlearn his errors as his knowledge.”
During his presidency, Rodrigo R. Duterte made an error when he confused Gabby Concepcion, the attractive actor recognized as the former husband of Sharon Cuneta, with the ABS-CBN executive Gabby Lopez.
Duterte was not the first notable individual to make such a mistake, nor will he be the last. The Book of Lists gave us some insights. Carl Sandburg, considered as “one of the greatest American poets and biographers,” had committed a mistake despite the fact he won prizes and awards for poetry and was also well-known as a singer and reciter of American folk songs.
In his famous biography, “Abraham Lincoln – The Prairie Years,” he wrote: “Lincoln’s mother was standing at the door of their cabin singing Greenland’s Icy Mountain.” The faux pas: the song was not written until twenty-two years after Lincoln’s death!
Who hasn’t heard of Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle. His sidekick was Dr. John Watson.
According to the author, Dr. Watson once suffered a bullet wound during a military action. In the novel, “A Study in Scarlet,” Dr. Watson’s wound is in the shoulder. While in another novel, “The Sign of Four,” Dr. Watson’s wound is in the leg. Now, Sherlock Holmes should figure that one out.
Daniel Defoe also committed an error in his famous novel, “Robinson Crusoe.” In it, the author had his shipwrecked castaway try to salvage some goods: “I resolved, if possible, to get to the ship; so I PULLED OFF MY CLOTHES, for the weather was not to extremity, and took to the water.”
After the naked Crusoe climbed aboard the ship: “I found that all the ship’s provisions were dry; and being well disposed to eat, I went to the bread room and FILLED MY POCKET WITH BISCUITS.” So, suddenly, he had clothes on?
Writers are not the only people who make mistakes. Painters do, too. When Emanuel (with one M, please!) Leutze painted “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” depicting the Stars and Stripes being carried in the boat. So, where’s the error?
Well, for the uninformed, the Stars and Stripes was not adopted as the American flag until June 14, 1777 – half a year after Washington’s crossing.
In his renowned oil painting, “Israelites Gathering Manna in the Wilderness,” the painter Tintoretto armed Moses’ men with shotguns. But history tells us that the earliest known gun did not appear until 1326, definitely after the Exodus.
Here’s another boner in the world of art. In a portrait of his patron, Charles I of England, Anthony van Dyke painted the king in full armor with two gauntlets (commonly known as medieval gloves) – both for the right hand.
Here’s something to laugh about. After completing construction of the Howard Hotel in Baltimore, the contractors installed boilers and started fires – before discovering they had forgotten to build a chimney.
Here’s another. Dan O’Leary of the Port Hurton baseball team came to bat against Peoria with the score tied. O’Leary hit what may have been the first home run of his career. After rounding the bases, he was declared out. Why? He had run around the bases the wrong way!
We should learn from our mistakes. American inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Alva Edison held a world record of 1,093 patents for his inventions. Perhaps the most significant challenge he faced was the creation of a practical incandescent electric light. Contrary to common belief, he did not “invent” the lightbulb; instead, he enhanced a concept that had existed for 50 years.
In 1879, by utilizing lower current electricity, a small carbonized filament, and an enhanced vacuum within the globe, he succeeded in creating a dependable, long-lasting light source. The concept of electric lighting was not novel, as numerous individuals had previously worked on and even created various forms of electric lighting. However, until that point, nothing had been developed that was truly practical for residential use.
After testing over 200 different materials, a colleague informed him: “You have failed more than 200 times; why don’t you give up?” Edison replied, “Not at all. I have discovered more than 200 things that will not work. I will soon find one that will.”
After one and a half years of work, success was achieved when an incandescent lamp with a filament of carbonized sewing thread burned for thirteen and a half hours. “All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes,” commented British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Here is a timely piece of advice from Jodi Picoult, the author of Handle With Care: “Making a mistake is one thing; continuing to make the same mistake is another. I understood the consequences of allowing yourself to become close to someone, of starting to believe in their love for you: it would lead to disappointment. Rely on someone, and you might as well accept that you are destined to be hurt, because when you truly needed them, they would not be present. Alternatively, you might share your troubles with them, thereby adding them to their burdens. Ultimately, all you could truly count on was yourself, which was rather unfortunate if you were not dependable.”
“There are no mistakes in life; there are only lessons to learn,” sang multi-awarded singer and actress Barbra Streisand in one of her movies.
