Correctors in Your Life

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Once you get old enough, you'd be surrounded by "correctors" in your life---people watching your every word or move, ready to correct your wrong.

Some people watch you when you're right. And then they point out how right you are. There are not many of them because most people around you hate pointing out how right you are. They won't admit there's someone better than they are.

Well, some people may do so---appreciate what you're doing right---but primarily because it reflects what they've been doing all along. They like being proven right---and they themselves  prove it through you. In a sense, they praise themselves when they praise you. You're a conduit to their success.

I'm not against corrections. We all need to be corrected. Being a writer, I've been edited or corrected a lot of times, and I needed them. What I can't stand are people who aren't writers or editors but they like to correct your write-ups. Worse, you see how they have worse grammars than you have.

And I'm not just talking about writing here. You know what I mean? I'm talking about correctors in life.

Basically, there are two kinds of correctors in life---those who want to help you do things correctly and those who just want to prove you wrong each time. What the second type often wants is that you do things his way. Only his ways or views are correct, so you should follow him. That's the bottom line---the bottom of things as far as correctors are concerned.

If you watch closely, you'd see a lot of this type of correctors on Facebook. They know how social networks like FB are worldwide so they use this platform to prove to people how right and smart they are.

The goal of these correctors (let's call them badass correctors) is not really to help you but to:

1. Prove you wrong, as I've mentioned.
2. To show everyone how right he is.
3. To show everyone how wrong you are.

So a badass corrector delights in opportunities when a crowd is watching and he has something to correct you with. He won't do it privately (what sincere correctors would do) or do it in such a way as to spare you from public shame. He intends to humiliate you and show off his rightness.

A Legit Corrector

We all find ourselves in situations where we need to correct somebody. There are ways to correct people properly:

1, Always check your motive. Are you going to correct the guy because you want to help him or is it because you just don't approve of his ways of beliefs? Worse, you don't like the guy. I always check my motive. If it's biased or prejudicial, I'd skip doing the correction.

2. Make sure you have the right to correct. I correct people under me---my kids, disciples in faith, students, office subordinates and other people who work for me. I don't correct people who aren't related or close to me. People have the right to be wrong, especially those who want to be wrong.

3. Do it in private. Take him aside where no one else would hear you talk and gently tell him his fault. Well, there are also badass correctors who correct you in private, but they're intention is no to help you but to prove you wrong. He wants you to bow to his correctness.

And there are also legit correctors who correct you in public because they need to---you've gone way wrong about what you're doing. But they do it to a limited audience---among those who are concerned. There were occasions when Jesus rebuked his disciples in front of other disciples. But no doubt, his intention was not to humiliate but to help the one at fault and warn the others as well.

4. Do it out of love, never of bad ulterior motives like hatred, bias, self aggrandizement or vengeance.