Things I Have Learned

In my several decades of existence on this planet, hurtling through the cosmos while managing to cling to the surface of Earth, I have learned at least a few things. Some of these things may fall into the category of common sense; others, perhaps, wisdom. Maybe even some others as school smarts. Regardless, all of them will fall under the umbrella category of life lessons.

This is, by no means, intended as a Life According to Victor document. These are simply some things that I have learned and, hopefully, get to share for the benefit of others.

• Cliche's suck.

There's a cliche for every circumstance and, more often than not, they are employed by the linguistically lazy and mentally unprepared. When used by parents, cliche's are more often then not used to teach a life lesson that the parent themselves cannot be bothered to teach. Perhaps the grass is always greener on the other side and, yes, perhaps, that is true, but saying it is absolutely not as effective as teaching your child that everyone feels put out, under privileged, and desirous of situations held by others. It's a cop out.

Do cliche's teach the truth? Absence makes the heart grow fonder is a nice sentiment, but we also much remember that when the cat's away the mice will play and then long absent soon forgotten.

If ever anyone finds me using a cliche to instruct my children about the world I want them to slap me in the face.

Cliche's suck.

• Everyone has their own story.

We all have our own history, however long or short it might be. It's so very true that we are the sum of our past and, unless you are personally aware of another person's past, you have no ability at all to make judgements on why they are like they are. You're certainly welcome to judge their decisions and actions, but you cannot judge why they are doing that.

Very few people are simply outright assholes. Certainly they exist - assholes, that is - but there are genuinely very few people who are just assholes all the time. In fact the exact opposite is true. Most people are actually very decent human beings who all want the same thing: peace, safety, a good life, and a better life for their children than they themselves have had. This is true world wide and is true regardless of political belief, sex or religious belief.

• No one considers themselves evil.

This rather lives hand in hand with everyone having their own story. Seriously, no one wakes up one days and says to themselves in the mirror, "From now on, I think I'm going to be evil." I know it's done in comics and many television shows, but that is done for the purpose of storytelling and to fill the audience in on who to cheer for (in fact, the best stories make the reasons for the antagonists actions as human as possible).

Here is a taboo topic and question: did Hitler consider himself evil? To be sure, I consider him evil, but did he?

Does Donald Trump consider himself evil? Joe Biden? What about you? Do you consider yourself evil? Probably not. Do I consider myself evil? I do not. An asshole, perhaps, but not evil.

• Never stop learning.

Seriously, just don't stop. There's always something more to learn. I could probably start a blog named "What Did I Learn Today" and have something daily to fill out.

I just might do that, in fact.

Learning keeps your mind sharp and active. It makes for more interesting conversations but, most importantly, it helps keep you grounded in the world and more understanding of other peoples, societies, cultures, or just helps you improve your ability to function on a daily basis. It's a good thing to do. Keep reading. Keep talking. Drink more coffee. It'll do you good.

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(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
(c) Victor Wiebe

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About Me

Amateur photographer. Wannabe author. Game designer. Nerd. 
General all around problem-solver and creative type.

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