It was more years ago than I can believe that I handed in my very first upper level undergraduate history paper.

I remember two things about that paper.

One, I got an “A.”

Second, I remember a very small correction that the professor had made to the paper.

I had written a sentence that went something to the effect of “Obviously…[brilliant history thought here]”

Submitted as crisp black on white, this paper was returned to me with a stark red line cutting through the word “Obviously.”  In the margin next to that, the professor had scribbled, “Obvious to WHOM?”

I don’t remember what that paper was about.

But I remember that correction.

I still use that word a lot.  You should know that I would use it twice as much if it hadn’t been for that professor, though.

In fact, I would say that this one thing has impacted who I am today in the most significant of ways.  I find that I am a lot less angry when someone disagrees with me, for example, if I don’t assume that my point of view, the collection of my experiences and what I believe is some obvious and completely natural conclusion.

Why would what I believe be obvious to you?

Have you lived my life?

Read the books I’ve read?

Known the people I know?

Nothing is obvious if you think about it.

Your thoughts?

They are not obvious to me.  I need to know what you know for that to happen.  I need you to tell me why you think what you think.  We both need to put aside our need to be right in order to just know at first.

I’m a very different human being than I was before I got that one correction back.

It’s funny, the small things that make such a big difference.

Photo Credit: James Sarmiento