Mea Culpa – through my fault. An admission of wrong doing, especially of a mistake that could have been avoided.
As humans, one would deduce that our modus operandi is to err so that we can learn from our mistakes and move forward. Mistakes, in their various shades of colourfulness, are usually made with an intention to learn lessons that will build one and make one a better person.
Mea culpa comes in like a swooshing whirlwind the moment you make a mistake that could have been prevented. In the spectrum of mistakes, if one were to analyse the level of ‘wrongness’ one would deduce that some mistakes are more heavyweight than others. Usually mistakes come laden with lessons. Mistakes are easily forgiven if they were unforseen. Mea culpa comes in when a mistake that could have been prevented was made.
‘Through my fault’ is a phrase that kicks in when you realise you have made a blunder that could have reasonably been avoided. The next step after realising that you have made that costly mistake is to issue out a Mea culpa statement to the people to whom you made a mistake. For instance, your statement would be along the lines of, ‘ Through my fault, I have made a mistake that will backtrack our progress 5 steps back. I apologize. Every attempt to rectify this mistake is in motion already and is in effect as we speak. ‘
The Mea culpa statement you would have issued will be your way of showing that you realise the gravity of your mistake and you want to do what you can to rectify it. The beauty of any mistake is the lesson that comes with it.
Mea culpa applies in all aspects of our lives. The significance of Mea culpa comes in admitting when you are wrong. That’s the point at the end of the day. You have to admit when you have done wrong. This will make you a better person and one who earns/gains the respect of others.
No one wants to be around a pompous, all-knowing douche bag who can never admit when they are wrong. We ALL make mistakes. We become better evolved people when we have it in us to admit when we are wrong and could have used a different approach to tackle challenges/problem areas.
Granted, it is not easy to apply Mea culpa in every situation. Some situations make us feel like we would be embarrassed if we admitted acts of wrongdoing. Embarrassment or not, admitting when you are wrong will make you the bigger person.
Don’t listen to those who think admission of wrongdoing makes you a weak person. Those who say that are not well-versed in the psychology of human life. We are better people when we can recognise where we have detoured. We become even better when we acknowledge to ourselves and to others that we could have done things better.
When the curtain is closed at nightfall, what matters is your character as a person. Mea culpa becomes your saving grace because people will know that you are not afraid of coming out to admit your part in making a mistake. Knowing to admit when you are wrong reinforces your character.
Mea culpa can be used as a tool to propel you forward and make you accelerate your growth. Instead of dreading it, embrace it.
The next time you feel your knees shaking because of a mistake you made, instead of walking wobbly and dreading the impending doom created by your mind, take a deep breath, walk tall and rectify your mistake. Use Mea culpa to strengthen your character.
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