The idea that it’s human nature to make mistakes has been around far longer than I have, and it’s a point I doubt anyone would argue with. After all, who can’t look back at the life they’ve led and burn with embarrassment due to that one presentation you messed up freshman year, or sorrowfully remember some actions that ended up throwing a wrench in a relationship with a friend. People are bound to mess up, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There is, however, something wrong with brushing past failures of a serious magnitude under the rug and refusing to acknowledge your faults or learn from them.

Often times mistakes, whether made by you, someone close to you or even a stranger are a struggle to face. It’s uncomfortable. This is doubly true as the intensity of the error increases. I’m sure most any teacher, parent or general authority figure would agree that giving out punishments to others is hardly any fun. This sentiment is repeated whenever it comes to facing your own failures. When a child misbehaves, they’ll understandably try everything they could to cover up what they did. After all, who would want to have to deal with the punishment of doing something wrong?

This is where problems arise. Facing no consequences for doing something wrong only reinforces the idea that your mistake is acceptable, and lets others believe that they might get away with it too. It starts to become a question of morality. What’s the point of learning from a mistake with no consequence? I’m sure many people would have many different reasons for many different actions, but I’m also sure there are plenty of things you would do if you had the chance to get away with them scot-free.

This idea needs to be applied to blunders or faults made in the past in the same way it applies to those made in the present. If you stole something like a necklace from someone a couple of years ago, it should not come as a shock that you’re still expected to compensate for what you stole and face repercussions for your actions. It doesn’t matter that you’ve changed since you stole the necklace, or that it’s been a long time since you’ve stolen it. At the end of the day, you still need to accept the consequences of stealing that necklace.

The effects of your mistakes don’t always fade away with time, so they shouldn’t be treated like they do. Even things that occurred long ago still hold an impact of how others can and will think of you, and it’s important to keep that in mind no matter what you do.