Wednesday, November 18, 2015

When the Broken Clock is Right

"Even a broken clock is right twice each day".

This witty and familiar quote has little to do with actual clocks.  What do we do with literal broken clocks?  Typically, we change the battery, try to repair them or throw them away.

What do we do with the human "broken clocks" in our lives?  The people who regularly over-share on social media.  The people who pontificate ad infinitum about topics of which they have little knowledge.  The people whose grammar, approach or hygiene leave much to be desired.   No matter how kind and understanding we are, there might be times when we would like to, figuratively, throw such people away.  We automatically dismiss anything they say as "wrong".

Broken clocks are right twice each day.  Broken people can get it right far less often.  However, this does not mean that we should completely stop listening to the "broken clocks" in our lives.  While they might not be fountains of wisdom, they can be occasional streams of insight that help us find our way.  They might even be able to help us find and fix some of our own broken parts.

The next time you look at a broken clock, don't automatically assume that the time is incorrect.  It might really be 12:37.  The clock is still broken, but for 60 whole seconds, it isn't wrong.

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