A while ago, when monsoon was just showing its face in Mumbai, I had written this. I had just lost my second umbrella of the season and was angry at myself for loosing it. The decision to not use the umbrella had come partly because of my stubborn resolve not to use the umbrella and partly because I had convinced myself that the umbrella was not required.
The concept that I was dependent on the umbrella was what I hated. At that time it was just my resolve not to use it that drove me. Now the monsoon is over for all practical purposes. I have gone the distance. I am here typing these ramblings and am sure I won’t be missing an umbrella again at least in this season. I have survived perhaps the greatest monsoon Mumbai has ever faced without an umbrella. I can now reflect back about whether I really needed the umbrella. I have mixed feelings on this. I really needed the umbrella 2 to 3 times during the entire monsoon. The 26th of July was not one of those days (when you are knee deep in water, you don't care about your head getting wet). On other days I was glad I was not carrying that unnecessary evidence of my dependence on things with me. I know one thing - My knowledge of whether I need or not need an umbrella is much more profound & rich now that I have experienced the monsoon without the umbrella. It is not in answer in Yes or No. There are many possibilities, situations & requirements that need to be taken into account before deciding on the answer.
So why am I going about this "umbrella" thing over & over again? Hasn't this concept already been abused more than required. I am thinking maybe there is a reason why I am doing what I am doing. When I decided not to buy a new umbrella, I took a risk. At that time I had some vague notions about my need for the umbrella. Had I not lost the umbrella & consequently my temper, I probably would never have taken that risk. Now once I have taken the risk, and experienced the whole of the monsoon through the whole trecherous rainy season, I am much more wiser. I no longer have vague notions. I know. I know because I had experienced. I would never have known had this thing been taught. I never would have really known if someone gave me a complete description of what would happen if I not use the umbrella. The feeling of actual knowledge is liberating. Knowledge gained through experience dwarves all the other knowledge gained by amny other means. The old adage "You learn from your experiences" still holds a lot of water. This adage too was no more than a mere phrase in the memory bank of my brain. I had to go through this experience to realise the importance of this adage & the true meaning of it.
You definitely learn from your experiences
2 comments:
One should also learn from the mistakes of others
No one lives long enough to make all the mistakes themselves
#jammy
I guess we should learn from others experiences. My post however was not about what one "should" or "should not" do. In fact I generally do not like preaching. My blog is mostly about experiences in life & what they taught me.
This post was about how I realised that "One learns from one's experiences". This is like a plain fact. How one wishes to apply this fact in one's life is but a matter of individual choice.
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