On the road of life sometimes we think that age will result in wisdom. I do not believe it. Wisdom is not acquired simply because time passes. Perhaps you have heard the saying “old and withered”. This is not necessarily confined to the body, the mind can also play this game…smile. Let me tell you a story that may put it in perspective.
There was a mother who had a son. The mother was very kind and loving and she had many hopes and dreams for her son. Her imagination was fruitful and she could envision a life of money and happiness for her son. This was all she really wanted. It was her hearts fondest desire.
When the son was young the mother would shower him with love and lots of ideas. The son became a free thinker and had a great imagination himself. As he grew into adolescence the mother thought it was time for him to settle down. But the son had other ideas. There was a vast world to explore with many things to see and know. His mother thought it was time to settle down and get serious. But the son was serious. He was seriously into exploring and trying new and different things to see what he could learn and know.
The mother thought it would just be a matter of time until her son “came to his senses”. Years passed and the mother enjoyed her life of quality and comfort and her son continued his great exploration of the world and gained many experiences and deep understanding. Each time they would meet the mother would ask “so are you ready to settle down?” or “are you ready to get on with life”. The son would smile and be kind but rarely did he tell his mother the truth of his experience, he would simply go out and explore more. As time passed the mother became older and older but always the same questions and comments remained whenever she saw her son. Eventually she died.
Not many years after that the son happened upon the most wonderful of discoveries for himself. It was a life of quality and comfort. When he arrived there his mother was not around to see but more interesting than this fact was the fact that the son had not settled nor come to his senses. He had in fact continued on his journey of exploration and self-discovery which he still enjoys, even now today.
This story is not personal. It is only a story. But it demonstrates something I have seen many many times. Repetition will never result in wisdom. Simply living longer does not increase our awareness and people with few experiences can also possess great wisdom. When people say to me “he must have wisdom because of his age I always remark it depends how he was in his 20’s”. If he was an explorer, if he was open and inquisitive and if during his life he chose to remain such and explore his life and share with others then chances are he is today still, a wise man. But if he chose to live a life repeating the same things over and over, which is very easy to do, then today he may find that wisdom still eludes him.
So if when you read this story you see that you have had the “same life”. If you are repeating things like the same feelings about your work, the same choices in relationships, the same results in your friendship. And if this outcomes do not create great joy in your life then perhaps, just perhaps, it is time for you to expand your horizons and go on a wisdom trek for yourself. All it takes is your imagination in hand and a look of wonderment in your eyes.
