Perfectly Infallible

No human is infallible. That is a fact. If it is a fact, why then, do some people believe they are? You and I have experienced this sort of being and pondered the fact that such a false concept is possible. A friend of mine, a Grade One teacher, if you please, told me one day, that before she retired, she was a perfect teacher with a perfect program. When I questioned her further, she told me why and how she was perfect. What I concluded, was that she was perfect in her own eyes because she fit perfectly into her own program. While it may be possible for someone to say they are infallible, it  is just not true. Perfection has its own limiting forces and according to these, something can fit into the criteria perfectly. Infallibility is yet another thing. It means never making a mistake. Even perfectionists will admit to becoming perfect, by learning from their mistakes, however few there may be. Those who think they are infallible, make their first mistake by thinking they are. Simple logic. And of course, logic is never simple. But we have certain factions in our society that do purport to being infallible. We've all met them as bosses or professionals of some sort. Sad to say that most medical doctors are considered to be infallible. For some odd reason, perhaps fear, we allow this fallacy. Doctors will tell you, other than in their offices, that, indeed, they are human and make mistakes sometimes. Professionally, however, medical doctors or their associates will deny mistakes. I know someone who picked up a prescription in which the doctor, according to the dosage listed, made a minor error. Neither the protective pharmacist nor the doctor's reception desk admitted that it was clearly a mistake, They turned the matter around and said that the elder patient was "confused" and that the dosage entered, was so, because  the patient wanted that change. On investigating, I found that the patient did so, but only because the doctor spent some time outlining why a 1.25 rather than .3 mm of a dosage would be less, and therefore, better for him. The elder said it didn't sound "right", but doctors"don't make mistakes". We all know the difference between 1.25 and .3 and which is less or more. The doctor did call and apologise later, which is rare and praiseworthy. I wish they were all as laudable.  But, in truth, it is the wisdom of aging that permits acceptance of this sort of incident without dispute. Elders feel vulnerable. A younger person would raise the roof if such a prescription error occurred. Wisdom understands, however, that while infallibility is just not possible in this world, and that doctors are, regardless of their education and experience, just as subject to error as the rest of us, elders know that tolerance is the better route to take.