November 10
Let Me Correct That
Halfway home, we remember that something we told the committee was wrong. It was an honest mistake, and correcting it will be awkward. Perhaps nobody will act on it. Perhaps somebody else will notice. There are several comfortable ways to leave the matter alone, especially when we have a reputation for knowing what we are talking about and would like to keep it.
Trust does not require us to remember every detail correctly. It does ask something of us once we know our information is mistaken. A correction gives people a fair chance to revise their plans. It also relieves us of monitoring whether the error has been discovered. Step Ten brings this freedom into ordinary business: we can admit a mistake without turning the admission into a dramatic account of our shortcomings. The people depending on the information mostly need to know what is true now.
What correction am I delaying because I would rather continue looking well informed?
A brief correction can be a kindness.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Step Ten.