There is a saying that life begins at 40. Being as slow as I am, I was 43 or 44 before I understood this. Here's how it works--or at least my take on the subject.
When I was 16, I thought that I knew it all. When I was 18, this became a fact. I did know it all. There wasn't any question about it. When I was 25, I was still quite sure about that. When I was 30, I was beginning to have some doubts. When I turned 35, I had to admit there were some things that I didn't have figured out, but I wasn't about to tell anyone. When I turned 40, it began to dawn on me that I really didn't know much at all.
Over the next three or four years, reality sank in. This was an extremely difficult time for me. I can honestly say that the lowest point of my life occurred within this time span. I was down and life was kicking me hard. However, looking back at it from the vantage point of a few years (I'll be 49 in October), I can say that it was also a good thing.
Knowledge is knowing. Wisdom is understanding. Wisdom begins when you realize that you don't know everything. The saying quoted above is probably true because, while most people gain a lot of knowledge early on, it usually takes 40 years of ass-kicking before they gain understanding about the things they do know.
Making the transition from gaining knowledge to gaining wisdom was tough. It was also liberating. I'm not anywhere near as nasty to live with as I was and I expect that pattern to continue and accelerate until I become the most lovable person this side of heaven. Oops! Sorry, that one just slipped out. Better back up and take a different tack.
When I was 16, I thought that I knew it all. When I was 18, this became a fact. I did know it all. There wasn't any question about it. When I was 25, I was still quite sure about that. When I was 30, I was beginning to have some doubts. When I turned 35, I had to admit there were some things that I didn't have figured out, but I wasn't about to tell anyone. When I turned 40, it began to dawn on me that I really didn't know much at all.
Over the next three or four years, reality sank in. This was an extremely difficult time for me. I can honestly say that the lowest point of my life occurred within this time span. I was down and life was kicking me hard. However, looking back at it from the vantage point of a few years (I'll be 49 in October), I can say that it was also a good thing.
Knowledge is knowing. Wisdom is understanding. Wisdom begins when you realize that you don't know everything. The saying quoted above is probably true because, while most people gain a lot of knowledge early on, it usually takes 40 years of ass-kicking before they gain understanding about the things they do know.
Making the transition from gaining knowledge to gaining wisdom was tough. It was also liberating. I'm not anywhere near as nasty to live with as I was and I expect that pattern to continue and accelerate until I become the most lovable person this side of heaven. Oops! Sorry, that one just slipped out. Better back up and take a different tack.
