Wisdom Polished

“Wisdom is polished in challenging times”

No one ever learned anything of real substance by sitting idly by, living a sheltered lifestyle with no hardship, or at least nothing comparable to the wisdom gleaned from tragedy, loss, suffering, failure, regret, war, famine, scarcity, pain, disease, etc. There are many woes of the world that build our wisdom - yet there are other wisdoms, just as deep, that perhaps don't need pain as their teacher. These lessons are tinged with sorrow, the inherent teaching within them is neutral, a tool to avoid suffering in the future, or how to bear it with minimal damage.

It's interesting, they say that the best music and art come out of dark times - when people need the escape, the fantasy, the enlivening, the evocation of art the most. This may be a direct correlation to the wisdom gleaned from challenging times.

"I learn my lessons gently" is another of my Daily Watermations, and this applies here as well. Just because a wisdom may be wrought from suffering does not mean the fullness of that suffering needs to be experienced in order to master the teaching that comes from it. The fullness of the Challenge, though - ah! - that is what we derive the wisdom from. Challenge need not be suffering. Challenge can even be fun!