I am interested in what's the "mistake" you mentioned here? and it is privilege in democracy only?
Democracy is the end result of thousands of such mistakes.
Democracy cannot exist without those mistakes.
In the context of personal Freedom, the mistakes are the time you spend "wasting" by playing a video game or online chat.
In context of Democracy, the mistakes the people make in choosing the wrong kind of leader, choosing the wrong kind of policy, choosing the wrong king of practices, etc.
End of the day, experience is the biggest teacher, not the red book or the green book.