An aging fart like me should have something to teach younger people. I don't. At least I have nothing of any consequence to teach them...that's how I feel. Why is that? It's because I realize, as I age, that there are no answers. There are just more questions. Now, I realize many people don't think that way, and you who are reading this may be among them. Sure, there are lots of life's lessons behind me that I could try to "teach" others, but that's a waste of time. Life's lessons are best taught by life, not by people who've lived it. Translation: my experiences matter to me...not to you.
My mood tonight probably has something to do with work pressure and such unimportant crap, but it's perhaps more connected with the fact that I just get it. I get it. We (i.e., the human race) can't seem to behave the way we'd like. Our religions don't help. Our antireligious rants don't help. Nothing helps.
Who cares? Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I appreciate many of you who are working so hard to change the world. Bev, Robin, Roger, Phil, Isabelita, Crabbi, Pissed Off Patricia, Darryl, TFLS, KathyF, KathyR, Birdie, Imperatrix, Hannah...everyone, I do appreciate your presence. I'm just not feeling a particularly charitable attitude toward those who don't listen to you or, worse, don't even acknowledge you.
Experience is the best teacher. But it's not enough. But what's the substitute?
1 comment:
I've been thinking about this post for a couple of days. I agree that experience is the best teacher. I believe that just about everyone has something they could teach to another. However, I also think that the best thing we can teach another person -- a young person -- and older person -- is just how to see better. When I say "see", I mean everything from knowing how to apply critical thinking to a newspaper story or documentary on tv, to knowing how to observe things in the natural world. All of us have those capabilities, but we have to develop them. Unfortunately, that's something I worry about -- that we are in danger of losing our ability to see, to think critically, to figure things out for ourselves. I think that, as we gain experience, that's probably our most important role - to remind people to look and not take everything at face value. As questions. Look for our own answers. You're very right about life's lessons being best taught by life. People just need to be reminded of the truth of that from time to time.
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