Life is a great teacher, as we never really stop learning from our experiences in life.  There is a quote: “A wise man learns from the mistakes of others, a fool learns from his own mistakes”  I had heard a paraphrased version of this same quote and so I went looking for it online as I actually thought that it went like this: “A wise man learns from his own mistakes, but a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others”  For the longest time this is how I would quote this and I would add that the world is full of simply “wise people” and not so many “wiser ones”, as we tend to have to learn things through our own experience.

I would agree; if we are really smart, we will consider words of those who have had certain experiences and learn to avoid the same mistakes through their testimony.  But unfortunately it just doesn’t seem to go this way most of the times.  Our child-like curiosity can get the best of us and we will just have to see for ourselves if it will work out or not (whatever it may be). This why experience is said the best teacher. As a matter of fact, if you run into a brick wall, you definitely would try to prevent it and look for another route the next time around. 

While growing up it seems to be innate not to take people’s words for granted and to have a buying desire to prove other’s wrong, especially if they assert authority over us. But then, as time passes, you start figuring that it might have been a lot better if you had paid attention to the teacher: Someone who had “been there and done that”. This would   save you a lot of time and sometimes, grief as well.  

I believe that wisdom shines its light on us when we finally realize that we are not actually the “all-in-all”. Also realize that we need to pay attention to others on certain topics.  It is wonderful that we can have such a vast array of talent and intelligence around us from whom to draw.  We just need to use this and allow wisdom to “kick in”.