“Wrong” is not a good word to use. We should say “Right” or “Not quite Right.” When something is not quite right we can fix it and make it right. When we say something is wrong, it stays wrong because that is what we said it was. Even if we fix it, it was still wrong at one time because we said so.

There was a time when young people were allowed to, or had to fix things that were not right. Here is an example – When I was 5 and my sister was 7 years old, we were driving the derrick-horse. This was the horse that pulled the hay from the wagon up into the barn. It was about 110 degrees and there weren’t any wagons in to unload so we went to the house to get a cold drink. Instead of going back to the barn, we sat under the trees at the house. A wagon-load of hay came in and Dad yelled for us to go ahead, but we weren’t there. In just a few minutes Dad came after us. He got my sister by the left ear and me by the right ear. We were headed out the gate when my mother stepped out on the porch and said “They are just small.” Up to then, Dad had not said a word. Now he said “One more word and you will get some of the same.” Dad was a very kind person but getting the hay in was more important than how big we were. He already knew that, anyway. There were two things that were not quite right. We were not doing our job and mother started to interfere. Dad allowed us to fix both of these. We got back to our job and Mother didn’t say anymore. We knew what we did wasn’t right. No one had to say anything to make us feel better. When Dad let go of our ear we felt better.

Now, if a young person does something that isn’t right, everyone runs to tell them that “It’s OK” and tries to make them feel better. Someone fixes, or cleans up and the young person gets no chance to make it right. They know that it isn’t alright, and they don’t get a chance to make it alright, so it is wrong. The young person who gets to fix and make it right doesn’t worry about being wrong because they weren’t wrong, only not quite right until they fix it. You can’t be wrong until you quit or do not fix it.

Today, young people are concerned about “Wrong.” It seems like they feel that being wrong is really bad. As soon as you use that word that means there is not a way to fix it or you quit. As long as a person keeps working until they fix the problem, there was no “Wrong.”

Let’s live in the world of “Right” or “Almost Right,” not in the world of “Wrong.” Remember, it is only a word. It is our choice to either use it or not use it. Keep your mind clear. Make things as right as you can, then life and everything else is good.

Be “Right,” and Smile and Mean it!