One of the most difficult times in my life was when I was in seventh grade and I had four very close people in my life pass away. Each person taught me a different lesson about life and the trials of growing even though each person was very different I learned a great amount. My oldest brother’s best friend was the first who passed in a car accident, he was one of those people who could walk in a room in which everyone would smile, raising the mood and everyone would become happy. He showed me that even in the worst of times if there are things that can be done to help everyone be happy and he never seemed to be afraid of making a fool of himself. Not long after this my grandfather passed away. Although I didn’t know him very well the time I did spend with him he taught me about never giving up on my family and always putting my all into everything that I did. He had fought cancer for years and ended up living a few years after they said he wouldn’t make it. Never giving up on anything he tried for, putting every bit of effort into his life. It was also him who had my oldest brother, who was living in Oregon, come to Wisconsin to live with my mother and the rest of my brothers.
Within that same year there were two other close friends of my mom’s who passed away, both of which I was close to. One taught me about hard working and that even though times may be difficult that we should keep our heads up pushing till we get to where we are happy. The other was the chief of a Native American tribe who taught me many lessons about spirituality. He taught me about being open-minded and that even though there may be people who can make a group of people seem horrible that we should look at individuals as themselves instead of as a group.
These lessons I have learned have pushed me to be the person I am today. I still am meeting people who teach me about life and the things I will always take with me. I hope that I will continue to meet more people each day and learn until I can’t learn anymore.
Between the lessons we learn from those close to us, do you feel it is easier to learn lessons first hand or by seeing the people we are close to go through things? What are somethings you have learned from both situations?
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I personally think that it is easier to learn lessons first hand. I do think that you can learn certain lessons from watching people go through things but there are other things that you need to learn for yourself.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I had to learn for myself is how to have enough confidence to stand up for myself. There were times in my life that I would let people (sort of) walk all over me, I knew that it was wrong but I would not say anything. I had to learn (for myself) a way in which I could stand up to others without making the situation worse.
A lesson that I have learned from others is to stay in a relationship long enough to really know the person before you marry them. My boyfriend has three sisters and two out of the three of them married the guy within a couple months of starting the relationship. These marriages ended badly and because of this I have learned that this is probably not what you want to do.
I agree with Megan. I think it is easier to learn things first hand because a lot of the time people can be judgemental about how people handle certain situations. I learned first hand from my mom. My whole life my mom told me to eat right and work out. I never listened to her until I was 19 and gained weight. Something I learned through someone else is not to drink in excessive. Many of my family members have had a hard time with alcohol and I didn't want to ge through what they did.
ReplyDeleteFirst hand experience is a more effective teacher, but a tremendous amount of learning can be done through another's experience. We are taught things from our parents and friends and also from watching others experience it.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned both from personal experience and through others is how to deal with relationships, whether romantic or friendly. There are things no one but yourself can teach with relationships, yet much can be learned from observing others.
I agree with all the previous posts. Some situations may be easier to experience from other people's perspectives, but most situations are easier for LEARN from first hand.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I had to learn from others was bravery. I was never "shy" but I was definitely not bold and brave. I would never go up to a random person and say hey, but after watching others and learning from them, I realized that life is a lot easier when you are brave. I luckily learned this right before I went to college, and I think I made a lot of friends this way. I was a totally different person, and I was the kind of person I knew I was truly meant to be.