Experience, they say, is the best teacher. This statement was first made by Jordan Peterson. This assertion denotes that experience is a teacher itself. No doubt, a teacher impacts, imparts, shapes and helps to change one’s life if one adheres or chooses to learn, it is what is learnt that brings about positive change.
As true as this statement is, it is better one learns from the experience(s) of others. One terrible attitude many youngsters bring to the table of life is the erroneous belief that they do not have access to information relating to their lives’ experience or ordeal. With this excuse, they tend to keep what they are going through to themselves or relate it to their peers with little or no experience on the subject matter. Before now, many people did not have access to information due to the limited social platforms or the unavailability of the platform where they could learn about life apart from the formal educational and religious gatherings. Fortunately, the world has gone digital whereby all the necessary information, topics, online seminars articles and the write ups needed are just on our palm.
However, the desire and willingness to learn must be there. Apart from reading about other people’s experience, either on printed materials, social media or at physical gatherings relating life’s issues with mentors, or people who have been experienced in similar situations. Reason being that he/she must have gone through the exact ordeal. The mentor will guide and direct one in how to go about things by giving the necessary advice. Sometimes, one can also learn from someone else’s experience without the person knowing. For instance, a friend of mine decided not to be involved in any erotic relationship during our undergraduate days because other female folks are experiencing heartbreak in their relationships. She was not the one experiencing heartbreak but, because of how she saw and viewed others when in that state, she made her decision.
George Satanaya (1853-1962) a notable philosopher was often quoted as saying “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. Meaning, history has been made by different set of persons, it is now for the new set to learn what went wrong in order not to repeat or make the same mistake made by the previous ones. Have you wondered why many people repeat their parents’ mistakes? Most parents want a better life for their children, but a number of children don’t seem to live better than their parents because they fail to learn from the former’s experiences.
Any child that wants to live better than their parents must be curious and anxious to find out why the generation before them succeeded at some things and the reasons they failed in some other things. Not only should they find out but should also work to prevent such in order not to fall into the same pit.
The foregoing reminds me of the story of a curious young boy who grew up in a family that was plagued by abject poverty. He wondered why his parents struggled to make ends meet. One day, the boy went to his mother and asked, “mother, why are we poor?” His mother answered him, “we are poor not because of God, but because your father never had any ambition or drive to become rich”. Up until he asked the question, Henry J Kaiserhad always thought his family was doomed by God to languish in penury forever. However, his mother’s response was what changed the course to challenge the status quo, and he went on to become one of the richest men in the history of America.
We can see that he escaped the poverty that befell his father because he asked questions and decided not to end up like his father.
Yeah, it is said that said that experience is the best teacher. However, it is better to learn from someone else’s experience. This does not necessarily have to be undergone personally or as in individuals, but can be learnt through others’.
Omotola Ajayi, is a student of Lagos State University.
