Worzel's World: From old wives tales to modern myths

The optimist says the glass is half full. The pessimist says it is half empty. A corporation will drink the contents then sell you the empty glass. District Council's will throw the contents away and raise rates to pay for a refill. Before gaining office politicians promise to fill the glass to overflowing. Upon their leaving office the contents are depleted and the glass is chipped. The realist simply states that there is half a glass, but the pragmatist takes the glass and uses the contents to refresh himself while digging a well.

It is commonly believed that possession of self-esteem is a necessity. Not only must people have it but they must have it in quantities sufficient to be deemed 'high'. This has become a goal for many – they work hard to achieve it. Self-help books, advise a gullible on how to get it and become best sellers. Giving children high self-esteem is cited as a valid reason for instituting policies and practices in education. This could be termed an old wives tale, except that most old wives are not silly enough to believe it.

It is at odds with traditional wisdom. For thousands of years prophets and philosophers have proscribed humility as the gateway to happiness and enlightenment. Advocates of high self-esteem cannot adequately explain why it is good. The necessity of self-esteem is asserted so frequently that it is accepted without any rationale explaining why it is desirable.

Likewise are those that subscribe to the positivity cult. ‘You’ve got to be positive’ they say with the starry-eyed certainty of an evangelical. In fact you don’t have to be positive at all.

Some who are positive about very little and who could be described as positively sceptical about much do very well without wearing the rose tinted spectacles of contrived positivity.

Being positive is much less useful than being realistic or pragmatic. It would be more helpful if we said ‘you‘ve got to be productive’. This, although true, is unlikely to prove popular due to the modern scarcity of productive pragmatists. Any fool can be positive and a great many fools are, but it takes ability, discipline, dedication, and a capacity for work to be productive and these are in seriously short supply.  

Another annoying popular myth is that we ‘learn from our mistakes’. Foolish people say this often. Any rational person prepared to take a look at the world around them and assess it realistically will see that we learn very little from our mistakes. The only thing we have learnt from history is that we do not learn from history. 

What we learn from making mistakes is how to make more mistakes. Some people spend their entire lives making the same mistake over and over, yet don't seem to learn much. Others consume their time making a succession of different mistakes, often with increasing frequency. Wise and considered individuals though, who are not too lazy to think, make fewer errors and can lead successful, happy, productive lives. This is generally known by those busy ‘learning from their mistakes’ as luck. 

We all make mistakes from time to time. Through ignorance or accident we get it wrong – but nothing can be learnt from a wrong answer. Undoubtedly the right thing to do is to start over and do whatever it is properly. As the saying goes, 'If at first you don't succeed, don't try sky diving'. 

If a mistake is to be avoided, more research may be required or more practice or better tools. For any problem there are an endless number of wrong answers and usually only one solution. Finding the right way cannot be a process of eliminating an infinite number of wrong ways but can only come about by deducing the right way. Those who practice this get better at it. 

The runner who trains regularly will become a better runner, he will be fit for running. The couch potato who sits in front of the telly will only become better at using the remote control. He will not become a better runner even if he watches repeated reruns of Olympic running events. 

From out of the maelstrom of modern life comes many false messages that can trap the unwary. Those that would tell you that you must have high self-esteem, be positive and learn from your mistakes are wrong. Just be yourself – however humble – and think and learn before acting. You'll be a better person and will avoid many costly mistakes.

prof_worzel@hotmail.com