Better be wise

"Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own. "
Aesop Greek slave & fable author (620 BC - 560 BC)

The rain is back. Our flirtation with bright sunshine has been curtailed and the solid British weather has made a spectacular return. We toyed with the idea of a BBQ yesterday, after a bout of retail therapy (for my mum and sister I must add), but opted for an excellent south Indian takeaway instead. There was a window of about one and a half hours of sunshine...

We have discussed the value of making mistakes and learning from them. What powerful lessons are learnt when we meet with misfortune and can understand the source of our errors. However, given the number and depth of lessons to be learnt, can we really afford to make that many mistakes? If foxes had a better communication system, might they not have documented that crossing motorways was hazardous? Or would they opt to determine each one for himself through trial and error? The grisly evidence on the motorway tells its own story. Surely, it is wise to learn from other people's misfortunes rather than yours; because you cannot sustain many misfortunes without paying a high price.

So we must pay attention to what goes wrong in other people's lives, just as much as we must pay attention to what goes right. For the world is a classroom that offers us lessons, both experiential or vicarious. The former we get by default - there is no escape. The latter offers us a fast track...