WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG UNINTENTIONALLY
As we make mistakes, the gap between our questionable behaviour and our self concept widens
ITHINK one of the worst situations to be in is to do something wrong unintentionally and then having to own up at a later date. I remember having just passed the driving test and I had the privilege of driving my sister’s car every now and then. There was a time when my classmate asked me to help her move some boxes from her house to another location.
Like a Good Samaritan, I agreed and borrowed my sister’s car for that purpose.
So I drove to my friend’s house, and as I reversed the car into the porch I heard a very unpleasant crunch. Due to poor judgment on my part, the door near the passenger seat suffered a nasty dent and my heart sank.
To cut a long story short, I drove the car to a mechanic, had the dent hammered out and the door looked so good, no one would have guessed what had happened before. What was uppermost in my mind was whether I should confess to my sister what I had done.
In other words, to own up to my careless deed or to keep quiet about it. At 18, that was pretty hard to do for fear of repercussions as it was a relatively new car.
What if someone does something wrong intentionally and due to a life-changing event realises his mistake?
We went to the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal not too long ago. Situated in the northernmost part of Ireland, its unharnessed beauty attracts many and has become a point of interest. When the cast and crew of Star Wars: Episode VIII returned to Ireland, Malin Head, on the Inishowen Peninsula was handpicked to be one of the shooting sites. In fact the trademark slogan “May the Force be with You” seems so appropriate, especially when the wild winds there can even blow a strong man down.
But this peninsula is also home to a significant event.
We are talking about the life of John Newton, a foul mouthed sailor involved in the slave trade in the 18th century.
During his journey back to England from Africa in 1748, he was caught in a storm.
It was here in Inishowen that his boat was repaired and his crew housed. That was a life changing moment because in the face of possible death he was given another chance to live.
So, he had to look into himself and right the wrong (slave trade) that he had been involved in.
He gradually gave up being captain of slave ships and wrote the pamphlet “Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade” whereby he described the horrific conditions of the slave ships. He later teamed up with William Wilberforce, leader of the Parliamentary campaign, to abolish the African slave trade.
To many of us who have not heard about Newton, perhaps he is most remembered by a song that he penned about mercy and atonement. Elvis Presley, Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston and Rod Steward have all sung Amazing Grace.
Our actions carry personal responsibility. When we make mistakes, the gap between our questionable behaviour and our self concept widens.
There is a form of mental discomfort or tension.
It is a sorry state when unscrupulous people cheat and prey on the vulnerable. How many times have we read of scams and forgery? Blatant slave trade may not exist in the present world but yet there is always some other form of slavery. Then there are others who have no qualms about making false insurance claims for example, just so they can lay their hands on big money.
Having escaped death, John Newton described himself as a wretch that was found and as a blind man given new sight.
How good it is to see someone turn around from a questionable past to walk the straight and narrow.
Moving on. I did tell my sister about the dent and about the mechanic finally and I felt a great relief when she did not make any fuss about it.