The Wisdom We Seek

     As we journey thru life, we receive experiences of many kinds. What we do with these experiences is what matters most. When we are less experienced, and often, but not always, younger, with a particular type of situation, our initial reactions may not be the one we would wish. Perhaps we react out of fear or anger. Perhaps we say something defensive or stay silent when we wanted to speak.

     No matter what our initial reaction to something, we can always still learn from an experience, even if it takes us repeating the same type of situation many times. Even if we had a negative reaction, there is always something positive to each and every single experience. Perhaps the situation was something horrific and what we would interpret as purely a negative one. However, we can look at the experience in a positive light, learning to understand that everything happens for a reason, even if we do not know that reason right away or at any point in this lifetime. As we go through tough times, we can embrace the fact that these times strengthen us, and often they help steer us back to the path we are supposed to travel when we have lost our way.

     Often people say wisdom only comes with age. While this is often true, there are many who receive wisdom at a much earlier age than others, sometimes purely because they were willing to open themselves up to learn and grow from a particular experience or from those around them with more experience such as Elders. Regardless of how old we may be when we are ready to gleam even a hint of wisdom from a particular experience, the only way to truly receive such wisdom is to be open and willing to receive it. Even if it’s coming from the advice and wisdom another gleamed from their own experiences and are now sharing with others, we should always seek wisdom over pride or ego, so we may grow and continue growing along our path. And, as we gain wisdom along our journey which we seek, we must learn to share it gently with others so they may gain the wisdom they seek as well.