“A bit of experience is better than a barrel full of knowledge.” (Finnish proverb) E.S., with his 8th grade education, joined the Navy in WW 2 and became a deep sea diver and underwater welder. As a young boy, I doubt that he dreamed about doing those jobs. Life has a way of putting us into circumstances that surprise us. Many different jobs gave me experiences beyond what I learned from books and lectures. I suppose you can say the same, as you look in the rear view mirror. ;-) Jack
FROM M.E. IN NEWPORT BEACH: Where did you meet ES? Did he have an opinion on capitalism vs socialism? FROM JACK: He was the dad/grandpa of friends of mine. He wasn't an openly opinionated person, just a humble hard-working Finn.
FROM B.G. IN MICHIGAN: As a person who grew up in a Finnish home (my mom is a full-blooded Finn) and a Suomi Synod church, I am quite familiar with the Finns and their “unique” brand of wisdom. As a child, I have memories of entire services being spoken in Finnish and the hymns being sung in Finnish. So, the Finnish words of wisdom are a welcome gift this week.
FROM P.O. IN THE HOLY LAND: "Life has a way of putting us into circumstances that surprise us" --- a hearty Amen! FROM JACK: Like placing you in the Holy Land at this time....!
FROM EMT SINGS IN MICHIGAN: It makes getting older so interesting!
FROM CJL IN OHIO: I needed the books to understand what I was experiencing... FROM JACK: I needed the professors to explain the books, and common sense to choose right from wrong.
FROM C.H. ON CAPE COD: I'm sure I've quoted him before but here he is again: "Education is an admirable thing but it is well to remember from time to time, that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught." (Oscar Wilde, [I think]) My grandmother, (who had a PhD in literature in Germany in the 1920's or thereabouts) taught me that one!
FROM CWR IN B'MORE: ...........my favorite job was pushing and packing down garbage with a bulldozer in a Baltimore landfill in the summer of 1958. I got the job , in that recession year with political pull from the Baltimore County Executive, at the time......get this, Spiro Agnew (who ,then, was a Democrat and a friend of my sister's friend's father)....so with political pull in a recession year, I landed a job in a garbage dump pushing garbage, with a bulldozer, (no shirt)....... when I returned to Gettysburg that Fall, the girls all thought that I'd turned bronze from a Summer, in the hot Maryland sun, at the beach in Ocean City ( I said nothing to dissuade them).... it was then that I decided to go on to Seminary where, I thought, the work would be cleaner....... little did I know.......
FROM MOLINER C.F.: As I look in the rear view mirror, I somehow see myself scrambling like hell to catch up.
FROM SNOWBIRD F.M.: But a barrel of knowledge is good to have when you are confronting a new experience! FROM JACK: Make it a barrel of common sense.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: It's so hard to get anywhere without experience, but you have to have the knowledge to know how to get somewhere... I never dreamed I would have done one tenth of the things I have done. I'm glad I had no knowledge of what I would go through or where I would end up. It's the wonderful experiences that have lead me to greater knowledge. I am just glad I know where I will spend eternity....that is one thing I AM sure of!
No comments:
Post a Comment