Sunday, February 01, 2009

Life's Lesson: Experience & Control

The more we plan our steps, the more chance there is that we will go wrong, because we are failing to take into consideration four things:

1) Other people (2) Life's teaching (3) Passion, and (4) Calm.

The more we feel we are in control of things, the farther off we are from controlling anything. A threat does not issue any warning, and a swift reaction cannot be planned like a Sunday afternoon walk.

Do not allow your supposed experience of life to transform you into a machine.

Often what we call experience is merely the sum of our defeats. Thus we look ahead with the fear of someone who has already made a lot of mistakes in life and we lack the courage to take the next step.

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Extracted from Paulo Coelho's book, "Like the Flowing River

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8 comments:

bayi said...

Mave,
This is a double-edged advice. Our failures in life should not deter us from doing something we want to. When we fail, we fail forward and learn from it in a positive manner.

Though experience can be seen as the sum of our failures, I beg to disagree. Experience also comes from observation. Observation of others' failures and successes, observation of people's weaknesses and strengths, observations of how external factors can influence the final outcome of each action and how we can ride on its sails or avoid it all together.

The discussion can go on and on but the most important is that when we plan we plan smart. We must constantly be aware of all the factors and make constant decisions to rein them in for our benefit where possible and to bypass them if we are unable to.

The 4 things you listed for consideration are the factors we will have to be constantly aware of.

All things are possible. Fear can be harnessed for positive use.

Anonymous said...

sounds like Paulo has really gone mad himself. advise that is as good as none, and more to confused that to clarify the mind.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year (CNY) to you too!

A New Year hello! It's always nice to say "Hello" at this happy time of year, and send you warmest wishes for a new year filled with cheer.

Maverick SM said...

Bayi,

I like your argument and perceived logic.

But it would make the subject far interesting and delighting if you read it from an analytical philosophical conceptualizing of the subject matter.

In the study of psycho-analysis, you will find that most people learn from their failures and go on to make more failures to learn more about the same.

First and foremost, the learners must know what is failure and why it failed; the cause-and-effect and the "thing" that failed.

Learning from failures may not mean you will thereafter do the "right thing".

This is an objective concept of failures. The essence of learning is to learn the profound knowledge of "the failures" and discover the essence of it.

Maverick SM said...

EeLeen,

Happy New Year to you.

Anonymous said...

Your postings have always been interesting reads... except this one! Have you drank from the well too? Hope you seek some antidote! Greetings from year of the Ox!

Anonymous said...

Mav, your are reading fast; like a flowing river- Mmudahlupa

Maverick SM said...

Anon 10:40am,

Ya, I drank from the well too. You should ponder over it and conceptualized the philosophy; then you may discover the profundity.

Mmudahlupa,

There's too many holidays; so nothing to do except to read books.