How many times have you heard the term, “With age comes wisdom?” I’m sure at some point in your life or maybe thousands of times and not just once have you been subjected to this term. But is there any truth behind it? What are your thoughts? Believe it or not? True or false?
I was in my mid to late twenties and I thought I was probably one of the smarter people in the world (ah, youth). Then it happened, somewhere, under the cover of night, I slipped into my 30’s and something changed. Everything I thought I knew in my 20’s was becoming altered and subjected to change, but why? Had my belief system changed? And if so, why? Could it be that I was just getting older and my thought process was changing? My 30’s were great and were an exciting times during my life. I was going through career changes, college education, and experiencing the challenges of raising teenage kids. I was still young, smart, great health, great job and wonderful family. I do, however, remember what everyone kept warning me about….. Everything changes when you hit 40. Not for me, nope, this was not going to happen cause I’m different from everyone else. See in my mind, (like a 20 something year old) I’m still invincible. There are those who realize getting old is just a process we all must go through and there are those of us who will not accept reality.
This is where (what I call) wires start to get crossed. You see, some of us think we will defy the odds. There are those of us who believe we will get out of this thing we call life without dying. For some “stupid” reason we think we are going to change the final outcome. Or maybe we are just refusing to give into old age and feel like we are going to be young forever. Okay, I’m getting off track with the title of this blog right now.
So going through my 40’s was rather enlightening in that I felt the need to keep my mouth shut and my eye’s wide open. I went through a divorce and a new marriage and life was rushing by so fast that I didn’t know what the hell was happening. Ex-wife, step-kids, new wife, new step-kids, new location, new job, WTH was happening? Life will send you twists and turns that you have no clue were coming.
Here we are today and I have entered into my 50’s. Yep, this is the age that just 35 years ago we referred to as “ancient.” Remember, when your mom & dad were in their late 40’s or early 50’s and, “OMG, they were OLD.” This we can describe as, “we have become our parents.”
However, what comes natural for me today is, “eye’s wide open and mouth shut.”. I listen and do not draw conclusion until I have all (or most) of the relevant facts. I do not draw a harsh line of judgement like I did in the past and I’m much more forgiving that I ever used to be. I am never quick to judge (like the past) and I always give the “benefit of the doubt.”
So in conclusion, it is easy to say that “yes” with age does come wisdom. I never considered or even pondered the impact of that statement but as I sit here today at 50 years old, it has more meaning to me than ever before. Am I boasting of how wise or smart I am? Not at all. What I am saying is, “My parents were right after all.” Everything my parents told or taught me was for a reason. Even though my 20-year-old brain could not process what they were telling me, because in my mind they were, “old”, in reality, I was just “young” and naïve.
With AGE does come WISDOM.
Bob~
Just a Simple Man 