Even as wisdom often comes from the mouths of babes, so does it often come from the mouths of old people.

“Even as wisdom often comes from the mouths of babes, so does it often come from the mouths of old people. The golden rule is to test everything in the light of reason and experience, no matter from where it comes.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

They say,“Experience is a hard teacher, it gives tests first and lessons afterwards .” Doesn’t it ring a bell somewhere in the back of our minds! Is it not to avoid those harsh and ruthless experiences of life that we go out to seek wisdom from other people! Don’t we do that with an intention of keeping struggles at bay!

As I go through this quote by Mahatma Gandhi I think of all the situations when I have either ran to other people for their suggestions or when people have come to me so as to ward off some of their wisdom on me.

People always try to advise their younger whether being asked for it or not as they think of it as their responsibility. They do that with a noble intention of preventing them from making mistakes. But by preventing them from making mistakes, are they not also preventing them from learning far more important and greater lessons and experiences of life and thus in turn, halting their personal growth!

At college, I used to had a Botany Professor, who always used to say, “A child is never wrong”. It is only today that I have understood what he really meant by that. I have come to realize the meaning of this one simple sentence. What he means by that sentence is not simply that a child cannot be wrong, instead, he implies that if a child out of his innocence makes a mistake then that child has the strength and capability to learn from that mistake and move ahead. He through this sentence is simply trying to encourage us to take our own decisions no matter correct or incorrect. He wants us to know that it is okay to make mistakes, learn from them far greater and worthy lessons of life and move ahead.

It doesn’t imply that people shouldn’t seek wisdom from others instead suggestions and inputs should be welcomed and should be pondered upon but shouldn’t be depended upon. Instead everything should be tested in the light of reason and experience, no matter from where it comes.
So next time, do not be scared of a fall if it comes your way. Lessons learnt the harder way are way more important and are never forgotten. What we all need are not only someone’s wisdom but that insightful mind that is not afraid of taking chances.

I Deserve Better: That’s A Lie

Most of us console ourselves in bad times with this sentence and these three words even seem helpful if only for a while. Sadly, most of the times the reality turns out to be different from what we try to picture. It’s not always that you deserved better.
The statement itself seems more like a complaint. It’s like, people switch to “Rant Mode” after their failures and blame the world, god, friends, and relatives: from anyone to everyone except for their own selves. To excuse their own selves from the blame with the help of this simple sentence. Each one of us does get this feeling, every now and then (I get this feeling after every set back).
I deserve a better life. I deserve a better job. I deserve a better house etc. etc. etc.
But how many of us actually think that may be, we need to better ourselves before we think of deserving better than what we have.
Nature laid out a simple rule which is way older than Newton’s laws of motion. I call it “Nature’s Law of Proportionality”. According to this rule, our success rate is directly proportional to our endeavors. So whatever we achieve in our lives is very well deserved and depends on the efforts put into the task.

Picture Courtesy: Google Images

The feeling of deserving better should be there to motivate an individual. In fact, it’s even necessary to fuel the desires and dreams of an individual. But most of the times, people take the other way round. It is used as an excuse to blame the circumstances, destiny, god and thus ultimately justifying a person’s incompetency.
In moments of absolute despair before going out and lashing out at others, do take a step back and analyze your situation and ask yourself “Do I really deserve better?” If YES is the answer, work harder to reach that “Better” state and if NO seems to be the call, well then, push yourself further to get into that “Deserving” list. And always keep in mind this plain truth: “Karma has no menu. You get served what you deserve.”