silver and gold

i'm starting to realize how much i can learn from being wrong.

i've spent a lot of time being silent.  for example, in class i don't answer questions.  sometimes, it's because i'm unprepared.  most of the time, it's because i'm afraid of being completely off the mark.

i'm writing this in lab, where we just finished going over the answers to some problems.  it's mostly open discussion; we have time to answer the assigned questions on our own, and then we go over them as a group.  i usually sit quietly and listen to the others give answers; this time, i decided to offer my own explanation...but i was incorrect.  honestly, it was a little embarrassing.

eventually, i realized my error.  and something occurred to me in that moment: silence may be golden...but sometimes silver looks better than gold.

i hate that it took me almost 14 years of school to understand this.