Dostoevsky's famous novel Crime and Punishment probably has a special place in the minds of even those who have not read it. In fact, these two concepts have ceased to be the title of a work and have turned into a duo that is difficult to separate from each other. One closely follows the other: "If there is a crime, it will immediately find the punishment, will find it or should find it" creates a perception. I don't think many people who have these two concepts in mind think that the origin can be related to a literary work. I think this is one of the assumptions or assumptions of uncertain origin. The famous author may have chosen an already existing perception as a name or this perception may have settled after the title of a highly famous novel.
There are such inseparable pairs in our language: Pot – lid, chicken – egg, methane – ebb. The existence of one often reminds or complements the other, and finds its function. You can find better examples. However, just as in the examples I gave, in the other examples we will derive, some pairs show an inevitable coexistence, while in others, although the concepts can exist separately, we are more inclined to use them together.
Well, in which category is the concept of crime and punishment in this respect for you? Are they naturally co-existing, or can they be separated and one does not necessarily necessitate the existence of the other?
– Do you think that every crime has a punishment?
– Do you think every crime must be punished?
– How is the relationship between punishment and crime fair?
– If there is a penalty, is there an appropriate crime?
I'm saving the subject from the image of a law lecture right away. Let me also state that the term "crime", which I use later in the article, does not mean an unlawful offense. In the past weeks, during our interview with a follower who reached out to me on social media about doing homework for a course, we talked about factors such as making mistakes, taking notes, and the possible attitude of a teacher who did not have the opportunity to meet closely. That's why I decided to tackle a topic that has been on my mind for a while. Thank you for inspiring this article.
One of the reasons I frequently bring up our approach to mistakes is to witness the great impact of attitudes and behaviors in this area on exiting the comfort zone, learning and development. These are sometimes seen as corporate culture and everyone knows, for example, to what extent mistakes will be tolerated in a particular company, and what the consequences might be, as if it were a written rule. This has a huge impact on the overall organizational development of that organization, from risk-taking style to innovation and even employee engagement.
As an individual, our approach to mistakes and those who make mistakes is one of the important determinants of our lives. An integral part of it is how we take a stand in the face of our own mistakes. Most of us have dreams. Some of us have turned some of these into targets. In order to achieve these goals, it is necessary to leave the much-mentioned “comfort zone” and take risks. Big and small mistakes can come along with the risk. What is more important than the size/smallness of these mistakes is what attitude to take in response. Because that's what brings progress or stagnation.
Is there a difference between the concept of error and the concept of crime for you?
Our attitudes are shaped according to the meanings we attribute to the concepts. According to the Turkish dictionary, crime; It means an act contrary to customs, moral rules, or a crime, that is, an act against the law. The definition of error is wrong, involuntary and unintentional wrong, fault, mistake and mistake. There is a third meaning; it is crime, fault, sin. When we look at these definitions, it is understood that while the concept of crime has a situation that is more unacceptable and subject to sanctions, it is understood that error is a relatively mild state of wrongdoing. However, we also see that it is used in the sense of "crime". Although dictionaries show the meanings of the words in the language of the society, the meanings we personally attribute to the words are also very important. Because our language affects our thoughts and our thoughts affect our behavior.
Could it be that fear of making a mistake or perceiving the mistake as a bigger problem than it really is, and sometimes even not admitting that we made a mistake, stem from seeing it as a "crime"? Nobody wants to be guilty.
For example, defense statements such as "Our crime is to love" and "It is not my fault that he is offended by me" refer to personal wrongdoing. However, when these sentences are expressed as "Our mistake is to love", "It is not my fault in her being offended by me", they have a meaning that eases the burden of the person saying it. Let's take another example: If you feel a slight difference between the statement "I am guilty of not doing my part" and the statement "I am wrong because I did not do my part", think about the difference...
When the label we put on the concept is “crime”, it is harder to accept, it is like a greater responsibility, and whether you are aware of it or not, it also evokes sanction or punishment. It has a way of making the person more defensive. It's a difficult possibility that a crime will conjure up something positive and turn positive.
When the label is "mistake", based on the acceptance that every person can make mistakes (like the saying "There is no one without fault" in our culture), the responsibility is a little lighter, generally easier to accept and does not connote punishment.
The biggest difference is in the dual concept structure that I mentioned at the beginning of the article. When one thinks of crime, punishment comes to mind, and when mistake is mentioned, the accompanist is probably correcting. There is no concept of correcting the crime, but you have the mistake.
How are these definitions for you? How does it reflect in your everyday language? What are the situations in which you use the word "crime" - as it has nothing to do with the law? In the same situations, would you be willing to change your statement and therefore your point of view with the concept of error instead of the concept of crime? When you make this change, what is possible that was not possible before?
Those who want to exercise and reflect on changing labels can return to the 4 questions at the beginning of the article about crime.
In these 4 questions, he can see how it looks by replacing the word crime with the word error.
If you think that you are approaching your mistakes as if they are “crimes” and you want to change this, a new playing field has opened in front of you. When you get what you get from this game, you can go to the next level and continue by doing the same experiments and observations on your view of the mistakes or crimes of others. Life is a huge and fertile garden to try different perspectives, examine the results impartially, and pick and choose what you want. I hope you enjoy it.