A few years ago I came across a Bible proverb that grabbed my attention as it seemed so absurd:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever who hates correction is stupid.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Let\u2019s be honest, none of us like being corrected. We all know that we\u2019re not perfect; but who likes our faults pointed out? Especially when we think we\u2019ve done quite a good job.<\/p>\n I remember the first time I went through the exercise of listening to a talk I\u2019d given. Before I listened to it, I thought I\u2019d given quite a good talk. However I was amazed to find that I had repeated most of my statements three times. I don\u2019t stutter, but every point I made, I rephrased very slightly and said it again, and then again! \u00a0I\u2019m glad I hadn\u2019t been in the audience!<\/p>\n And then came the experience of watching a video of a talk I\u2019d given. The camera was merciless. Every time I scratched my head, or said \u2018umm\u2019 or \u2018ahh\u2019 was visible to me in full glory. Ouch! Not recommended for the faint-hearted, or even the thick-skinned.<\/p>\n No, none of us like being corrected.<\/p>\n Although the proverb was probably written about 2,500 years ago by King Solomon, I did think he was being a bit stupid for thinking that we enjoyed being corrected.<\/p>\n But a few days later as I was working on some typing, it dawned on me.<\/p>\n I had just typed a spelling mistake, which my computer program kindly underlined for me. Without thinking, I corrected the mistake, grateful that I wasn\u2019t sending the document with such a silly mistake.<\/p>\n I realised that having a mistake corrected wasn\u2019t really a big deal, and avoided me looking stupid in public. So perhaps Solomon was right after all. Yes, I should be grateful if someone corrected me, rather than becoming defensive and arguing about it.<\/p>\n I still find it difficult when friends point out my mistakes, but at the end of the day, I have to agree, \u201cHe who hates correction is stupid\u201d.<\/p>\n