CxD 183: Mistakes were made 😖
1. One thing about being human is that mistakes are an essential feature of the gig; a life of Character is not one that avoids them, but knows what to do when they happen.
More generously, perhaps, we can admit that when we live with enough vitality, they become a consistent companion and a kind of map that teaches us where our edges are—take away the mistakes, and we end up doing circles in an abandoned parking lot of stale habit.
2. Allow me to rephrase: there are no such things as mistakes, only teachers if you’re brave enough.
3. Here’s a great recent example.
Stephen A. Smith is my favorite sports commentator and one of my favorite critics in general. When he sermonizes impromptu, his monologues are often more insightful than many overly-massaged student papers that took students a week to write. He does not shy away from controversy.
So when he said the following about professional baseball losing its younger audience and needing marketing help, and that the #1 star in the game, Shohei Ohtani, is a Japanese player who uses a translator to baseball’s detriment, he really pissed off a lot of people:
“I understand that baseball is an international sport itself in terms of participation, but when you talk about an audience gravitating to the tube or to the ballpark, to actually watch you, I don’t think it helps that the No. 1 face is a dude that needs an interpreter, so you can understand what the hell he’s saying in this country,” he said.
From all angles, he was condemned as a bigotted blowhard.
4. And. But.
Smith’s response to the reaction he received is a masterclass of Character. I think it’s really essential to listen to his response in full with him speaking it, so click on this Twitter link:
Another version worth listening to:
5. People without character do an excellent job of looking for somebody or something to blame; people who live from character understand responsibility and are willing to take it. What do you do when the impact of your actions differs vastly from your intentions? Do you say “that wasn’t my intention”? Do you “wellwhataboutX” prevaricate? Or can you look straight ahead and move directly into the storm, trusting that the eye will see calmly and clearly and provide needed safety and perspective and help begin conversation, repair, and healing?
6. Also this:
