A Perfect Imperfection

Sports never cease to amaze me in their ability to illustrate the human condition. The recent blown call by umpire Jim Joyce in the last out of a perfect game thrown by pitcher Armando Galaraga of the Detroit Tigers is one such instance. Jim Joyce's response to his mistake was one of unabashed sorrow for the gravity of his error. He apologized to the pitcher without being asked, cried publicly for making the mistake, and made gestures of good will to Armando the following day when they met at home plate with the line-up card. Armando was the consummate gentleman who graciously accepted his apology and forgave him without anger or bitterness.
The honest sadness and humbleness that Jim Joyce showed reminded us all of how difficult it is to make a mistake and make it up to the person. It is far easier to get defensive, make excuses, or attack back when criticized than it is to accept the criticism and make amends. Jim never made excuses. H never asked people understand that being an umpire is a hard job and that mistakes are human. He never asked the media to get off his back. He faced the music honestly and with true sorrow. His behavior touched everyone who witnessed his actions.
Jim Joyce's actions clearly illustrated the concept of forgiveness that is one of the cornerstones in a new movement in psychology called positive psychology. Forgiveness can be misunderstood to mean forgive and forget. Real forgiveness is earned and contains two conditions: contrition and reparation. Contrition is true sorrow for the pain that is inflicted. True sorrow is different than a hollow apology. True sorrow does not give way to anger when the person is slow to accept the apology. The sadness remains regardless of the wounded party's reaction. Reparation is the rebuilding of the trust that is broken by one's actions, a pledge to try to act differently in the future. Both contrition and reparation require that there be a real understanding of the error, and the actions that need to occur to restore the broken trust. Expressing both the sorrow and the problem to be addressed in the future earns the forgiveness.
Thank you Jim Joyce and Armando Galaraga for showing us your humanity on such a large public stage.