Saturday 18 October 2008

Answers, Questions and maybe WISDOM!

My philosophy class resumed last week for another term, so I am feeling in a very philosophical mood......it will pass, but I will take advantage of it while I am here....or should that be whilst I am here?

ONE of the greatest gifts one generation can give to another is the knowledge gained from experience!

Wisdom is a rare commodity. There are a lot of very brilliant people, bright people, clever people, NOT so many people who are wise.

Wisdom isn't an answer, wisdom IS a question! I went to see a shrink once, I was bothered by things in my childhood and my youth.......And I was so disappointed that the shrink didn't have a big bag of answers! I came to be very grateful for it later, that what they have is a big bag of questions. We have the answers....And that is when I found that the answer is invariably in the question. We carry our own question around with us.......are you still with me!

I grew up feeling unloved - all around me were seemingly happy, blissful people and my question was WHY don't I feel like everyone else.

There is no answer. It's like your Mother saying "where have you been till this time of night". The question was in the answer. She didn't want you to tell her. The question WAS the answer......And thats where wisdom is: in the constant questioning of where you are......And when you stop wanting to know, you're dead......You're walking, but you're dead.

What do I live by? - one of the things I try to do is not to believe in too much.

What do I know that's absolutely, incontrovertibly true? - All I can say is that everything changes. Thats all I know with any degree of certainty! It's all going to change and flowing within change keeps us flexible.......And helps to develop a sense of humour about everything!

Gee I am glad I got that off my chest!!

In 2007 3 friends and myself travelled to the Northern Territory in Australia and visited Kings Canyon, I took dozens of photos but this one gave me a feeling of wonderment.

11 comments:

Wendy said...

Wow, you are doing amazing posting this weekend. Yes, it is interesting that what we can count on is change. I think most of us typically don't do so well with change. I feel as though I have had to make a lot of changes in my life. We have moved to new churches, which meant changing friends, homes, and lifestyles based on the community we lived in. I have changed jobs. One thing I do not like to admit to is "changing my mind". As I get older I get more flexible I think, I am more willing to think about change. Old patterns of thought are easier to hold on to aren't they but I do constantly seek understanding. I think I am going to like this class you are in!! I think I am going to learn alot! :):) You aren't going to charge me tuition are you???

McMGrad89 said...

Does your brain hurt???

I remember having a friend growing up (can't remember which one - not important) and she had a grandfather who said that the day you stop learning new things is the day you die. He took it so far as to ask himself what he thought he learned at the end of the day. If he couldn't answer it, he would run to the encyclopedia (in the days before internet, boys & girls we got information from books) and look up something he didn't know before. I don't know if gathering mere facts (as discussed in a previous Peg post) is considered learning, but it is an interesting concept nonetheless.

McMGrad89 said...

PS - nice additions to the playlist.

Jan said...

There has been discussion about how great your playlist is. I agree! I may snatch some tune titles - I'm impressed. Thanks for telling me about Joseph and Charlie. What a special relationship for everyone concerned!!! That's cool.

Anonymous said...

I agree that knowledge gained from experience is one of the greatest gifts one can pass on to a younger generation. However, that gift is not always willingly accepted. Sometimes children (and especially those in their teens and twenties) have to experience things for themselves to learn those lessons which we have tried to teach them. It's often the mistakes and wrong turnings in life which form the basis for any future decisions.CJ

Genny said...

I love how you said one of the best things we can pass on is wisdom from experience!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for your sweet comments!

miruspeg said...

Thanks for the follow-up comments -you all give me further 'food for thought'.

With the world in turmoil at the moment lets hope the knowledge gained from this experience will be learnt well by future generations....we want to move on from this greed and only looking out for me society!

Peggy

Roban said...

You're too philosophical for me! At least in month 3 of a new school year! I may be back up to speed by... let's say... July 2009?

I enjoyed reading your post though. It does make one think, and we should learn from experiences of our own or of others. As one of your visitors said, though, people tend to have to learn on their own. They don't learn as well from others' mistakes. We often don't recognize the wisdom of others until we have tried things on our own and then, only then, say... "now I understand what he/she was trying to tell me!" I think that's evident in the classrooms. Some students don't see the value of an education until it is too late, or at least late enough to make them struggle all the more to achieve success.

And... about "The Secret Life of Bees," from the trailer, I think you're right. There doesn't seem to be much of anything offensive. I don't mind her seeing the portrayals of the violence from that time period. (Per your other post, we can learn from the past. I think it is good for young people to see examples of what life was like in past decades.)

Have a wonderfully philosophical week!
Roban

Roban said...

P.S. I love your photo at the end of the post. The tree looks like a character out of movie or book! "And his sinewy arms reached towards the heavens, skeletal fingers clawing away from the earth...!"

Caroline said...

Yes, wisdom IS the question! That is great. I love how you try not to believe too much...very true. I find that I change my mind too often and the answer I seek is not the one I want (does that make any sense?). And boy oh boy does everything change... Great post!

Chapter Forty said...

You're amazing, I've said it before, but you are so wise and contain so much wisdom. Your thoughts are so original. Thanks for reading my Blog and commenting so regularly. I was sad to read about your relationship with your Mum. My mother didn't feel the love of her mother and she also learnt from that and broke the cycle.