Daily writing prompt
What do you think gets better with age?
What gets better with age?
A great question for us on an early Thursday morning at the "old homestead" along the shores of the Bay of Fundy.
Well, first off, a lot of things get better with age or at least that's what I've been told and led to believe over these many years.
Apparently, wine gets better with age. Becomes more tasty or more pleasing to the palette. Or something like that.
You see, I'm not entirely convinced here on that.
When we moved, we emptied a bunch of wine out that we had collected over many years, including bottles that had been given to me by Grade 5 students when I was teaching. I made the broad assumption that it was their parent's idea to supply the old teacher with liquor. I always found getting a jug of wine, the most bizarre gift to get at Christmas from a student in my classroom.
But, our opening the bottles led us to conclude that the wine DID NOT get better with age, In fact, most of it could have been used to loosen rusted lugnuts from the wheel rims on your car ..........the wine looked bad and smelled worse.
They say some cheese gets better with age. If "they(whoever they are) say so", then okay - I believe them. But, for some reason, why do I suspect the whole cheese more than likely ends up resembling said wine situation above.
Source - Google Images
I have heard sex gets better with age. Much I could add to the commentary regarding this particular thought, but .... let's keep the response to the prompt at least PG-14 rated. At least in your mind.
When speaking entirely for myself and based solely on my own life and living, is that .....wisdom gets better with age.
So, if it gets better with age, ........what is wisdom?
The Oxford Dictionary defines wisdom as: - the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight. The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as: - the ability to use your knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgments.
Two keywords in my mind that pop out of these two definitions are - knowledge and experience. Sure, others are darn important as well, such as thinking, good judgement and common sense. But, we'll focus on knowledge and experience for the moment.
I think both knowledge and experience in this situation come from simply living life and time. A 17-year-old does not have the same experiences and knowledge about life, living it and dealing with it as someone who has lived it; raised a family; and worked experience gained over forty-plus years. And I don't have anything against 17-year-olds. I was once 17 myself .....50 years ago.
Knowledge and experience are in my estimation two entirely different elements. It is the combining of them along with common sense, good judgement, and insight that results in wisdom.
Another way to see it is wisdom takes knowledge and applies it with discernment based on experience, evaluation, and lessons learned.
A quote by an unknown author sums it up this way: "Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it."
So, what gets better with age - wisdom and how to use it.
--as always with love--
--- get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself ---
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