Ralph Waite
“You only mature when you face problems you can't deal with.”
Think back to the finest moments of your life. I imagine the path to the accomplishment was simple, and you and everyone else knew it. The acclaim you received was so immense because you didn’t really have to work for it at all.
Nope, not even close. A victory that you just breezed through is not really a victory at all. The glory, and the maturity only comes in the struggle. You must actually learn new skills, not just draw on old lessons if you are going to grow from it, to mature.
I have mentioned my daughter Ecil in previous episodes. Here is her Facebook posting regarding a crisis she faced and her reaction to it.
Feeling pretty epic at the moment. A couple of weeks ago, I found out that there was a clerical error which resulted in me being 4 credit hours short of graduating in December and it was too late to enroll in another course. Not being the kind of person to take things lying down, I've been busting my rear since that phone call to get into the Credit-by-Examination program at WVUP. As of today, I have passed two tests which has put me over the four credit line. Barring any other surprises, I get to graduate as planned. Unlike many in this world I refuse to be a victim of circumstance, and I wasn't about to let something like this keep me from my goals. I'm glad this was able to be resolved with the first two tests so I can focus on the rest of this semester with a clear head.
Needless to say, I am quite proud to say, “That’s my daughter.” She seems to gotten the best of the personalities of both my wife and myself, with few of the liabilities. You can’t ask for more than that.
How do you react when an impossible obstacle is presented? Most people fall into two categories.
The first is to sit down and wait for someone to come by an get you out of it. If no one comes by you just keep sitting and accept the situation and live with the failure.
The second is that group of people who immediately begin to examine the situation from all angles, asking advice of others, and when they have grown in knowledge and confidence, they proceed and conquer it.
The reaction at the crossroads makes all the difference. One fork is “I wonder if someone will get me out of this”, and the other is , “What must I do to solve this”? Will you stagnate in place, or will you grow and mature? It’s your choice.
Ralph Waite on International Movie Database
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Doris Roberts
“Everybody's a teacher if you listen.”
At what age should a person decide to stop learning? Many figure that by the time they get out of high school or college, the learning curve is over and it’s time to apply the knowledge they have worked so hard for in real life.
Sounds good. I think. What are you going to do when new technology arrives and you have to use it in your employment or everyday life?
Yes, that is a little extreme. Of course we WILL learn things we are faced with that MUST be mastered to continue our employment, but what about the stray bits of knowledge and insight that just sort of come our way?
A constant stream of valuable info is washing over us every minute of the day. The average person simply doesn’t recognize this valuable resource because they are only tuned in to info they need to solve the current problem, and don’t see the need to keep updating the store of random data for later use.
My wife and I were watching a movie yesterday about a pioneer woman who was left alone in the wilderness after their wagon was separated from the rest, then her husband was killed in a raid. We kept finding ourselves annoyed when she would walk away from some valuable resource such as clothing, shelter, or a food source she would certainly need later, but didn’t have the insight to simply pick it up.
So many facts and insights we would most certainly have a use for are streaming past as we ignore them in pursuit of our current goal. Our current goal would be so much easier to accomplish if we had only paid attention to information long since past.
Our brains are in no danger at all of being completely filled up and overrun with information. We are told that we only use a small portion of the full potential our brains are capable of in our lifetimes. Current wisdom says that the more you exercise your brain, the less chance you have of developing dementia.
So much valuable information is available from those impromptu teachers you encounter on a daily basis. Just like college professors, each person you meet is a specialist with their own experiences and aptitudes. You could consider a person completely ignorant of most basic knowledge, but then, if you just listen, that nugget of truth and insight comes through.
Grab it, stuff it in your brain, and someday, you will need it, or you can pass it forward to someone you love. It could even save your life someday.
Doris Roberts on International Movie Database
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