Sep 12
29
Are You Getting Older and Wiser?
Older and Wiser
Older and Wiser?
When you were a teenager, you may have thought you knew everything.
Now that you are older, you probably realize that you didn’t know what you didn’t know then. Now you are older and, hopefully, wiser. We live and learn. I wonder what I still don’t know that I don’t know.
It has been said that good decisions come from wisdom; wisdom comes from experience; and experience comes from bad decisions. You may recognize some of these sayings:
– “I was born in the morning, but not yesterday morning!”
– “This is not my first rodeo.”
– “I’ve been around the block a few times before.”
– “If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you will continue to get what you’ve always got.”
– “Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me.”
– “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
– “Stupid is as stupid does.” (Forrest Gump’s wise mother)
– “I wish I had known then what I know now…”
Declining energy and strength with age is compensated for by wisdom from analogous experiences and perspective.
Is Nothing Constant Except Change?
“Ay, there’s the rub!” In the stone age the tribal elders were revered and respected for their wisdom, because their experience was directly relevant to the challenges of the day. However, the problems of the 21st century are often different from the experience of the elders. In some situations, such as communications technology, the practical application of 20th century experience is questionable.
The elders are faced with the challenge of keeping up with exponential change or becoming perceived as irrelevant. I am among those who are scrambling to keep up with new technology. I have also learned about synergy, leveraging the skills of others (outsourcing), and the truth of interdependence.
Some Things Never Really Change
Although technology is central to doing things in the 21st century, the most important things in life are more about being than doing. Who you are and how you feel about that, as well as who you know and how they feel about you, are timeless issues.
Although the channels may be different, communication and relationships are still important. Family and networking still provide synergy and leverage. Happiness is still related to values and virtues. “Faith, hope, and Love endure.” Truthfully, I believe I am getting older and wiser.
image credit to Leon Martin http://elmirarealestate.org/2011/05/17/if-only-i-knew-then-what-i-know-now/
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