Wisdom
A quote I recently read said "Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it." It made me reflect on my life and situations I had faced along my journey and made me re-acknowledge that life is a great teacher and we never really ever stop learning from our own experiences. I have discovered along the way, too, that the world is full of simply 'wise people' - those who have learned before us.
If I were really clever I would have willed the word of those in my own circle - those who have had particular 'like' experiences, and so would have learned to avoid making the same mistakes through listening to their testimonies. But, unfortunately, it just did not seem to go that way most of the time. My curiosity would often get the best of me and I had to see for myself if, whatever it was, would work out my way - or not - thereby perhaps proving, no matter what, that experience is the best teacher.
While growing into my adult self, it seemed to be innate to not take people's word for things, to have a burning desire to prove 'them' wrong, especially if 'they' had any authority over me. But then, as I grew, I began to figure out that it might have been a lot better if I had paid attention to the 'teacher' who had "been there", and "done that". Had I chosen to listen, I could have saved myself a lot of time and, sometimes, a lot of grief. But, instead, I tended to linger on a certain kind of pride that battled with having to give in and finally accept that someone else might just be right. It's quite strange, but more often than not, I wanted to be the one that was right - sometimes even when I was wrong!
Wisdom shines its light when we finally realize that we actually don't have all the answers and we do need to pay attention to, and listen to, others. It is great that I can have such a vast array of intelligent and experienced people around me from whom to draw my experience - I just have to be open to listening and then allow the wisdom to seep in.
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