by Michele Mccullough

Created on: March 15, 2009

One acquire's wisdom by listening, watching, and experiencing life. That is, if one is smart enough to recognize the opportunities before them and wisely bank them into the mind. Wisdom is merely the ability to learn from other people and from life's mistakes or accomplishments.

The hardships of life can teach us a lot. Living a life of poverty teaches one the values of being thrifty, the difference between wants and needs, and the value of an education which would enable one to make a better living. Living with someone who is disabled can teach us a lot about compassion, caring and the sacrificing of oneself. Living in another country can teach one to be thankful for the country we live in, even with the plethora of problems we face here. However, these lessons make one wise only if we choose to let them.

One can go through life and never grow wise if they choose not to. With blinders on, they sail through their years in a haze of selfishness and self pity or ignorance ,blaming the world for their lack of wisdom. In truth, the person alone chooses how wise they will become, Just as you choose to be educated, you choose to be wise. Wisdom itself is nothing more than a form of education. The events of life are the classrooms for becoming wise and every individual has the option to take those classes. Yet, one can choose to stay ignorant, remaining in that state of bliss with their head in the sand, falsely believing that if they don't see it, they don't have to deal with it. This is a sad way to live, damaging one's own ability to live life to the fullest, as well as hurting any relationships they may have in their lives.

The value of our elders is a treasure chest of wisdom that many of us ignore. Our elders have experienced lives that were quite different from this world we know today. They know the value of money and the lack of it. When times were tough in life, they held dear to each other and made it through together because they relied on one another. In todays society we see very little of family and friends reliance that was so essential to survival years ago. At times people would have literally died without one another, weather it was to work and keep daily food on the table, or simply to keep each other warm at night. In our modern society, technology has provided us with the ability to be so independent, much of the wisdom learned from everyday life has been lost on the world today.

The ability to go through life's events and learn valuable lessons from them is the best way to acquire wisdom. Weather the situation is of good events or bad, learn from it. Every mind has the ability to learn. no matter what background one comes from. While some may find it harder than others to acquire wisdom and use it to the benefit of themselves and others, they are nevertheless, equipped with the ability to do so.

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