In the previous article, we resumed speaking about some loving people who you encounter throughout your life whose hearts are full of love and hope that they offer others. There are also the honest ones who give good advice. Today, we shall tackle a new category.
Some Teach You
Life is a journey in which man learns and acquires experiences. Thus, whoever we encounter in the journey gives us many lessons, some of which makes us happy, and others pain us. Yet, in the end we accumulate experience and wisdom. Along with these, we should realize that the joys and pains we encounter have an end. So, what remains is what learn, which guides our forthcoming steps and decisions. On the other hand, whoever abandons these lessons and is preoccupied with the feelings troubling him will be whirling around himself and getting to the nowhere.
Not only does man learn from his beloved ones, but also from the wise, though a few. Happy is he who encounters a wise person: for the latter is a real, rare gift. A wise person gives you valuable lessons that protect you from many dangers and give you an insight to understanding many things, in like manner a lighthouse guides ships in a dark sea. Solomon the sage says, “The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death” and “The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness”
Hence, if you meet a sage, listen carefully to his words: for he is sure to have something useful. Plato writes, “A wise man speaks because he has something to say, while a fool speaks because he wants to say something!” Do not grieve or rebel at wise man’s scolding, for it is said, “It is better to be scolded by a wise man, than be praised by a fool.”
The wise man’s strictness might save your life, whereas a fool’s leniency might lead you to the nowhere. Likewise, you can learn from wise people’s ideas written in books. They grant you a lot of knowledge which practice gives you wisdom and experience.
There are other people who wish you had never met. That is because they might give you pain or grief. Yet, they give you the best lessons in life: for they give insights to your weaknesses or lack of knowledge that you might be adept at overcoming any obstacles.
To be continued…
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
