We all need room to stumble.

I came across a phrase I really like.  "Room to stumble."

That's what I've been reaching for!  The idea that we all need room to stumble.  A really progressive civilization would give everyone a chance to stumble and not be destroyed. We're not dependent on the next crop, after all.  We're not about to be eaten by a bear if we wander off the path. 

The artist especially needs room to stumble, and learn, and flail around, without the pressure to produce the perfect result. The imperfect leads to the art.

A business that requires that you be better than everyone else isn't the way a strong economy should work.  You shouldn't have to outperform in order to survive.  You shouldn't have to be perfect. There should be enough wiggle room to make a mistake, to stumble.

In politics, the same thing. Some of these social issues aren't easy -- to say the "wrong" thing is almost guaranteed.  The so-called gaffs.

When talking about race, or gender, or social inequality, we need room to stumble. To not get shut down because we say the wrong thing.  As long as we have room to stumble, to rethink what we said, to figure it out.

Let's all be a little more forgiving of mistakes.  In our children, in ourselves.  Let's give ourselves room to stumble, create a society that won't crush you when you do, and one which allows for growth before destruction.