"Fall down seven times, stand up eight," is a popular Japanese proverb. I've been saying this to myself a lot lately, actually.
I do understand problems are part of everyday life. They make life more colorful and less boring. And they somehow give meaning to life because I'm able to appreciate the good times whenever I remember the bad.
Still, I never enjoy it whenever I go through these challenges. I'm more of a "good times" kind of guy, which meant I pray or call to God less when going through tough times. And it seems to me like, these days, the hardships happen more frequently and are far longer than the successes.
What's the deal with problems
With that, I wonder every time: am I being tested? Am I being trained? Do these problems really make me become stronger and wiser? Do they help me become a better person?
Stronger? Perhaps. I don't know if "stronger" is the correct word as I feel like I'm getting more accustomed to the hardships, thus making me more "numb" than "strong".
Wiser? That's another case altogether. Because becoming wiser meant I wouldn't commit the same mistakes again and therefore would not go through the same problems again. But I don't.
It seemed like an endless cycle. Although I think I've learned, but another situation comes, and I was back into my old habits and I say to myself I never learned. In Tagalog it is called "Di na natuto."
Do problems make us wiser?
I figured out that problems does not necessarily make us wiser. Unless we figure out its root cause, learn from it, and don't go through the same path again.
Figuring out the root cause of the problem is important. Because if we don't know the root cause, then we will not be able to apply the right solutions the next time it comes or if the situation is different.
In other words, I think problems per se doesn't provide anyone with wisdom - unless he or she is humble (willing to admit own fault) and teachable (willing to learn from past mistakes).
Ultimately, wisdom still comes down to a person's attitude and heart.
A test or a natural occurrence?
I don't think life problems are God's way of testing us (God doesn't test us, by the way, it's the devil who does that with God's approval).
I think there's just a natural law happening, laws the Creator had set in the beginning. There's always a cause and effect, a consequence to every thing we do, whether good or bad. One should study more about this cause and effect to be able to lessen life's "problems".
For example, when we throw something up, it eventually must come down. Not because we're being tested, not because it's good or bad. But because of the natural law of gravity, which the Creator had placed since the beginning of creation. Everyone and everything is affected by the law of gravity, whether they are good or bad.
Final Words
I think problems are not related to becoming wiser. Being wise has more to do with a person's attitude and willingness to change. Besides, one can truly learn even from the experience of others if only they are observant enough to notice.
We don't have to go through hardships to gain wisdom. All we need is a humble and teachable heart to acquire the same.
How about you? Tell me what you think in the comments. I would like to hear your take on the connection of problems and wisdom. Thanks for stopping by!
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