There is not much worse in life than being 100% sure of something, to later discover you were 100% wrong.
I was waiting to get food today when I noticed that my buddy had a new phone. Wanting to experience a new technological gadget and examine it first hand, I asked if I could have look. I held it in my hands and played with it, I explored and learned. I fell in love with it a little bit, it is slick and glossy, light and beautifully elegant – quite a gadget. God has truly put in man creativity that is beyond belief. Anyhow, soon the queue that we were in started moving and I fast found myself second in line to be served. I tried to close as many applications as I could, so I could return the phone to the owner in the same state in which I had received it.
We proceeded to get served, got in the car, and headed home. It was the makings of a lovely evening; the weather was warm, conversation was light and the company was enjoyable. At that point there wasn’t much to complain about and the tone for the rest of the evening had been set. My buddy, who was driving at this point, suddenly started asking where his phone was. Naturally, all who were present told him that it was probably in his pocket and we thought nothing of it. He stopped the car, got out and searched his pockets – Nothing. It was a bewildering moment for us all, realizing that a one day old phone had either been picked or lost so quickly in its very short life. He turned to me, and asked me where I had put his phone, in the same manner he would ask me how the weather was: It wasnt an accusation just a another question. In a convicted manner, I assured him that I had returned the phone to him, and that he had put it in his pocket. He believed me, I believed me. I was so sure that is what had happened, I would have bet my savings and one of my kidneys on it.
A third friend who was present decided to give his phone a call, just in case someone had picked it up, or it had been left in the queue, while we were waiting for food. I felt a vibration on my thigh, and suddenly started to hear a clear ringtone that I knew was not my own. My cheeks went hot, and I started to sweat. Had I been of the fairer hue, I surely would have been as red as a poppy on a dull autumn day. It was embarrassing. I searched my pocket and there it was. It was such an awful moment when I realised I had been wrong, that I had caused confusion, and had been in my own right confused and put extremely, lost. I was 100% sure that I had returned it, and 100% sure that he had put it in his pocket. I actually remember now as I write this that when I tried to return the phone, following unsuccessful attempts to close the applications, my buddy was being served ahead of me. When I realised that I couldn’t get the phone into his pocket, I had put it in my own. But how and when did I get lost in my own translation? It’s difficult. Whilst he appreciates that it was an honest mistake, my credibility has been compromised. If not with him, then with me and that is potentially a worse end. Can I trust myself? Can he trust me? I was adamant I had returned the phone; I was clear and confident when I spoke. I presented my case as fact, leaving no room for doubt about how the events of that evening had transpired. I was wrong and had been misguided in my confidence about being right.
This episode got me thinking and asking, just how much have I been sure about in my life that has had no supporting empirical evidence; from career goals, school choices, subject choices, living arrangements, lifestyle, relationships. Please note these are different to personal opinions on subjects or topics, these are guiding principles through which we choose to live our lives. Have I been dreaming about medicine only to have God tell me he wants me to be a lawyer? or banker? Have I been certain I was meant to be in England, when I was in fact supposed to be in Fiji? or Taiwan?
Friedrich Nietzche said, ‘Convictions are more dangerous enemies of the truth than lies.’ Do we let our convictions lead us astray? Away from the paths that were intended and meant for us?
