We Must Keep Learning How To Live
As long as you are living, keep learning how to live. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca
I don’t write the things I share here because I’m an expert or “guru” – that simple fact is something I’ve made clear many times.
The truth is I have faults. I often make bad choices & I’ve hurt other people – even recently. I’m struggling on this journey of life but I’m learning…almost every day.
I remember the saying, “the day we stop learning is the day we die”. Well, I’m not ready for that yet, & I probably have plenty of mistakes left to make.
Overcoming Our Faults
Someone wise once said, “There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see”.
We aren’t always aware of our faults – but when we have been made aware, we should do everything possible to overcome & correct them. If someone or something has brought faults of yours to your attention, the greatest fault would be ignoring it, making excuses and not learning to overcome it. We have to be open enough to learn the lessons life has in store for us.
What Life Is All About
Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. ~Daniel J. Boorstin
Life is about learning & growing. It’s an education long after we leave school and through our adult years. We don’t just learn about reading & writing – but about ourselves, patience, compassion, trust, understanding & relating to others.
A Challenge For Today
Everything you do to learn & grow will make some kind of difference in your life & the lives of those around you.
Today, my challenge to you is to do at least two of these:
- Learn something new about yourself today.
- Learn something new about someone else today.
- Acknowledge & take action on a personal issue you’re already aware of.
Next, share what you’ve discovered or experienced in the comments, below. Let’s get to it.
Today, I've learned that I often assume (whether correct or incorrect) what another person is thinking or what their motivations are. This is a hard one for me, as I base most of my assumptions on experience from the past.
The worst part is when I've done or said something based on one of these assumptions and it often hurts or offends another person. I've never liked it when someone assumes things about me. It makes me look arrogant when I'm called-out on an assumption & that never feels good.
The solution? Stop assuming. Stop reacting until I know & understand all of the facts. This might take a lot of work & effort for me – because as much as I work on understanding, I still tend to be pretty reactive.
Who else has experienced this?
You know what they say about Assume right….to assume you make an axx out of u and me….So I try never to assume, though I think we are all guilty of it at some times. Sometimes it is the only way to derive at something we don’t know or understand out of the simple fact that someone has chosen not to enlighten us about them or a situation etc….In general I agree with this thought. Proactive is better than reactive as a general rule but sometimes we end up in a constant fight or flight situation and you have no way to be proactive so you react the best you can, or at least we hope it’s the best we can. Cheers.
Thanks for sharing your insight. As you say, sometimes it may be the only way to derive information, if there is no other way to get it. While it wasn't addressed in the post, it's true and a good thing to consider.
Thanks for visiting & taking a moment to comment. See you again soon!
Also about growing beyond conceptual traps, which often harden into a form of what we take to be reality. We make assumptions about how people are and therefore don’t try approaching them from a different framework. But as often as not, giving someone a chance without expectations–a chance that presupposes a modicum of respect–can bring out a side of them that they withheld–because of assumptions they’d made about you!
You are so right! Once we have that hardened perception of how people or things are, it’s very difficult to see things from any other perspective. It takes a lot of desire & effort (worth it in the end). Giving someone a chance, presupposing even a modicum of respect, can reveal to us things about that person that can be life changing. And you’re so correct, that it can even change how they have seen us. All it takes is a chance – backed up by some effort in understanding.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! Hope to see you again soon!
[…] Keep Learning How to Live I don't write the things I share here because I'm an expert or "guru". That simple fact is something I've made clear many times. The truth is, I have faults, I often make bad choices & I've hurt other people – even recently. Source: coleruddick.com […]
as always fantastic 🙂
@JaydnBflo Thank you! Have a great week.
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