“Correct a wise man and he will love you. Correct a foolish
man and he will hate you.” Most people
want to be wise, but listening to constructive criticism can be hard. Part of
learning about ourselves is about learning about not only our strengths, but
also our weaknesses. Henri Nouwen said, “Maybe we remember the few occasions in
our life in which we were able to show someone we love our real self: not only
our great successes but also our weaknesses and pains, not only our good
intentions but also our bitter motives, not only our radiant face but also our
dark shadow. It takes a lot of courage, but it might just open a new horizon, a
new way of living.” When we live in a sense of community, we reveal both
strengths and weaknesses. Our humanity
will always include some shortcomings, but when we realize our weak areas, we
can grow and learn. A teacher I had in high school once reminded the class that
you learn more from the questions you miss on the test than the ones you get
right. No one gets through the exam of life with a perfect score. We will all
make mistakes, but hopefully as we acknowledge our mistakes, we can learn to
have conversations that solve problems and promote harmony and peace.
