In school we are taught a lot what to do; and we are told what good awaits us when we are right (which is about doing what the system wants). On the contrary, they don’t really tell you what happens when we are wrong. It’s the “or else…” kind of subtle threat. And that’s because we want to keep the students, the kids thumbed down, we fear the demolition of the power hierarchy in place. Or maybe it’s just pride, the pride our system teach us to have.
What if we allow ourselves, and encourage everyone to ask “or else what?” And to really clarify what happens when we are wrong? Because there is value to it. It is easier to know what to study to get better in the next test when you go over what you did wrong in the previous one (assuming the tests are cumulative in the content they cover); it is better to know the consequences or worst case scenario before you embark on a mission. You can invest with more conviction if you know what is the residual value of a business when the venture fails.
So much of our lives actually depends on us surviving through times when we are wrong but we’re never quite taught to think that way. We are taught to daydream about being right and then we are penalised by our inability to take the right risks and make the right mistakes.