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Wisdom Leaves The Moment We Think We Have It
Have you ever wondered how you even managed to survive when you were so shortsighted? It is often unwise to believe we are wise.
It’s easy to look back in awe at our own foolishness. Take any ten-year period in your life and compare both ends. It’s remarkable. How could we be so stupid, so narrow-minded, so unprepared?
I think it is alright for the comparison to make us cringe at that past version of ourselves. Otherwise, we may be equally dumb and simply not able to see it. The clearer the difference between then and now, the more obvious the progress. It might be uncomfortable to think that who we are today might be embarrassing to the person we will be in ten years, but the thought of having stayed the same would be simply unbearable.
I hated whenever someone told me I was being naive. I couldn’t stand it when someone referred to my age to explain a certain behaviour or attitude. I still think it was often nonsense, because age is far too frequently used as the cheapest argument to escape a tight situation by the old and unwise. It is similar to the racist argument when it comes to politics but — once again — I digress. My point is I know I was inexperienced and unwise, and that would certainly have been ostensible to those who…