It is said that experience is the best teacher. But what lessons do we learn? Experience isn't always a mindful teacher. It some times leaves our lessons open to varied interpretations.
Different experiences can teach us different lessons. Additionally, our beliefs, background, and our mindset will determine how we interpret the lesson.
For example if you tell a child not to run on the pavement in flip flops because they will trip, and then they trip and skin their knee, that lesson is very clear. The child will learn not to run in flip flops.
However let's take that situation and apply different circumstances to it. Let's say the child only owned flip flops. Lets also say that the child rarely, if ever, was afforded the opportunity to play outside. You give the child the same warning. Depending on if the child obeys or not can afford a plethora of out comes. He may obey and be content just to be outside. He could be resentful that he can't run. He could be inspired to find a way to get shoes that he can run in. He may run and fall and be happy for the skinned knee as it is a trophy to remind him of his outdoor experience. He could be angry he fell because he didn't have proper shoes. He could be angry at others who are able to run because they have shoes and lash out against them.
Experience is a fickle teacher. Teaching children when they are young how to learn from their experiences, both good and bad, will help them learn skills that will help raise their Emotional Intelligence which will help them cope better with adversity as an adult. Teaching children (and those who act like children) how to view experience from different points of view is an amazing and valuable tool that will open to learning about change and diversity. Often times the experience doesn't even have to be their own, it can be a friends, relatives or even your experience they learn from, which is just, if not more valuable.
5 comments:
Very interesting and very ture. My boys were easier to teach about such things than my daughter -- all three have learned and in different ways.
Just poppin in to catch up around here!
Martha :-)
The emotional intelligence counts for a lot and the "ability" to learn does also. We are all made so different in every single way but we do have to look at the basics:).........alice
There were a lot of reasons my parents could not shelter me when I was younger, so I learned a lot, early & often. Experience, yup, has its good points & bad, but I'll take mine.
I know with me growing up, I saw what my brother was getting into and based on what he was going through, I didn't want to go through that so I learned from his experiences; my son, on the other hand, seems to "like" learning things himself and will probably not rely on the experiences of others; but rather himself to learn, sometimes the hard way, LOL, but learning nonetheless :)
betty
Hi rosemary another great entry and really useful too. My sister has always learnt from my mistakes and my son seems to be coping how i deal with life, You have helped me to see that if I want him to change, i have too. thank-you. take care mrs t xx
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