"To know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom." That's a quote by Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon lived in the mid 1800's and was known as the "Prince of Preachers". He was a reformed Baptists, and many of his sermons are still around today.
A lot of people nowadays mistake knowledge for wisdom. They are really two different things... as Spurgeon is alluding to. Dictionary. com defines knowledge as: acquaintance with facts, truths or principles. Meanwhile, their definition of wisdom is: the quality or state of being wise. knowledge of what is true or right, coupled with just judgement and insight. Well, there is the catch... To have wisdom, you need insight and judgement. Have you ever met someone who is just book smart? They have a lot of knowledge, but no idea how to put it to good use! There are a lot of people like that in my profession. They have CFAs or MBA, sometimes both. Yet they can't pick a decent stock to save their life! There is one guy I know, that I would say is one of my wisest friends. The funny thing is he is not very knowledgeable in any given subject. Don't get me wrong, he has an Ivy league education... Harvard to be exact. He just doesn't have a lot of knowledge about any particular subject. What he does have is wisdom. He surrounds himself with knowledgeable people, and then fires off extremely insightful questions. He then takes the knowledge that he hears and puts it into action. He proves day in and day out that it is not what you know but who you know. I have never seen him treat anyone badly, and he makes everyone he meets feel smart by the questions he asks. He doesn't just ask questions about things he wants to know. No, he asks questions to see what you know. That way, if he ever needs your expertise, he has another person he can talk to. As you can guess, this man has lots of friends. They are friends with him because not only will he ask questions of them, but he will introduce them to others who have similar backgrounds to you. That way you make new smarter connections as well. He is a networking genius... and that, my friend, is a sign of wisdom in action. I have met a lot of people with specific knowledge in one field who try to make you feel stupid for not knowing what they know. This is the exact opposite of my friend. These people usually don't last long. They have specific knowledge, but they aren't interested in sharing it and building on it. Since that is the case, no one goes out of their way to share ideas with them either. To me, to have wisdom, you need to be open to new information (knowledge) and at the same time be happy to share the knowledge you already have. Human progress is a visual history of shared knowledge. Wisdom, or knowledge... which would you rather have? Being an analyst, I can tell you, knowledge is always available. You may have to dig deep to find it, but if there is a will there is a way. Meanwhile, wisdom comes with experience. It is easy to gather knowledge. But it takes time to see how to best put it to work. Oftentimes, people have knowledge. They just don't know what to do with it. That is where being wise really helps. Be like my friend. Be wise!
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Today I'm going to talk about food. My favorite Food is cheese, and pasta. I eat apples every Day. I also like chicken pot pie. I like a lot of different foods. I particularly like pizza!
Ashleigh So earlier in the week, my dad put out a blog post in which he discussed his Zoosk profile. For those of you who didn't see that post and have no idea what I'm talking about, allow me to sum it up for you- my dad really sucks at making interesting online dating profiles. Now, being young and in the moment- and also friends with an extremely flirtatious friend who made me make a teen dating account with her once- I know a tiny bit more about making an interesting bio that stays realistic. While I wrote a rough draft of a "story" for my dad in the comments of his other post, I'd like to elaborate and re-create here.
About Me Hello! Before you read any further into my profile; I'd like to state a few quick things that would be a deal-breaker in a relationship- just to save you some time in case. - I won't date an alcoholic or a smoker (or anyone who drinks/smokes) - Drugs are also a big no-no, I have two daughters I'm raising - You have to have an open heart (and mind) to children, as they come above all else Now that that's aside! Since you've come this far, let me tell you a bit about myself. As I mentioned, I have two daughters- a six year old and a fourteen (almost fifteen) year old. Both the girls and myself take karate; my oldest is a second degree black belt as am I. I am also a sensei, and I enjoy helping out with the younger class in my free time. We train twice a week at a minimum and go to tournaments pretty frequently, so you'll have to bare with a bit of a busy schedule. Karate aside, I work from home and home school both of my daughters. I value family time and find the best thing about working from home is the quality time I get to spend with both of my girls, along with the fact that I get to teach them and help them with whatever problems trouble them. I encourage them to reach for their goals and chase their dreams, and really be comfortable with who they are. I am an analyst, and a very logical person who enjoys to think deeply. Now, don't take this the wrong way- I love an open sense of humor almost as much as I love to make others laugh! However; deep conversation is always welcome and I'm willing to talk about anything, really. For hobbies, I love my karate workouts, I enjoy hiking, fishing, canoeing, and I also like to go to movies and rock concerts. My music taste does vary, but rock, blues and metal music are among my favorites. My Story I'll keep this part brief- I may already have bored you with my "About Me". I'm a single dad, my wife died 3 years ago due to complications from alcoholism and I'm raising my girls in a rural town in New Hampshire. I've been out of the dating scene for a long while now; so I'm quite interested in meeting some new people and really just making some good friends. I look forward to speaking to you! - Wayne .... Well, there you have it. Enjoy that, Dad. Maybe it'll inspire you a bit. I think that would work, no? -- Maddie This quote is so simple... but I love it a lot. It has a very basic meaning- be unique and bright in a world that is dull and uniform. My dad is constantly saying that the people in my generation are always trying to be unique and stand out, while they all look the same anyway. I personally don't like the fact he says this- because while yes; people follow the same trends and all clumped together look the same... every person has a unique personality and how they choose to represent themselves physically is often a reflection of their personality.
Personally, how I dress and what I choose to do with my appearance... I do because it makes me happy and makes me feel comfortable. I could give a shit if I'm fitting in with a certain crowd or not. I try to not judge TOO much based on appearance; but instead by how a person acts. I've said this in a previous post, but I've met church-goers who rock purple and blue hair and have piercings and tattoos everywhere and people who are into the harder lifestyle who wear dresses and pastels. Appearance is so stereo-typed in today's society and it's sad, really. Too many people are judged based on their outer appearance and miss many amazing people because of it. By now, you're probably wondering where I am even going with this post. I've managed to stray pretty far from what I started with- which was standing out in a dull world. Well, I happen to think that there are many fruit loops among the cheerios- many unique people who are sadly classed as cheerios simply going along with the crowd by those who don't take the time to get to know them. Yes, trends are something we all fall into... there is virtually nothing you can do with your appearance to be "unique" in today's world. Someone will inevitably copy you or will have already done what you tried to achieve, and the uniqueness loses its worth. Don't lose your own worth as a person just because others want to shut you down as some minority trend. -- Maddie I'm going to talk about ''God''. What a loving God we have. I adore ''Him'', and worship ''Him''. He blesses everyone on earth. God protects all of us.
Ashleigh "The greatest pleasure in life is in doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot. Walter, believe it or not, was once the editor of The Economist, which, of course, is a financial magazine. He was the editor way back in the mid-1800's though, so it was way before the magazine became a mouthpiece for the powers that be.
Bagehot was born about 145 years ahead of his time, judging him purely by his quote. I like to loosely live by that quote as my motto. If people say I can't do something... particularly if it is something physical, I like to practice until I can prove them wrong. Personally, I hate when people use age as an excuse. And I hate even more when they use MY age as an excuse! "You can't do that! You're 50 years old!" Yes, I am fifty years old, but I CAN do that! I will practice the move over and over again until I can do that. Spinning back kick to someone's head. Yep, I can do it. I practiced for months, but I CAN do it. I am now trying to teach my daughter how to do it. It is a definite show off move. Punch a 100 pound bag over with one punch. Yes! That one only took me a few tries to get. Ditto the flying side kick. The trick is to get height. Even outside of karate, I don't like people telling me what I can't do, just because they or most people can't or won't do it. I started my own business because I thought I could work from home and get paid for it. I moved to New Hampshire because I thought New Jersey was grossly over-taxing everyone. Well, what can you do, people said, if you live here, you got to pay it. Well then I won't live here. Yeah right! That's right, I bought a house in New Hampshire in 2005, and have been saving on taxes ever since. Similar to the quote, I do take pleasure in doing what people say I can't do. No fear. We weren't born to live in fear. At least not fear of trying. If I want to do something, and it IS possible, then I am going to try until I can do it. If others don't like that, tough luck! Live for yourself. Do what people say you can't do. I am not advocating breaking the law here. I think you can see where I am coming from by the examples I used. Follow your heart. Do what you want...even if you need to expend time and energy to do it. Time and energy is kung fu. become a kung fu master! and take pleasure from doing things others have said you cannot do! "My image of me is not at all your image of me." That's a quote by Alan Watts. "Who is Alan Watts?" you might ask. He was a philosopher who died in the early '70's whose claim to fame was that he popularized eastern philosophy for a western audience. He wrote The Way of Zen, one of the first best-selling books on Buddhism. I like the quote above because it is true. No one knows you better than yourself, and yet, oftentimes people will be their own worst critics. Sometimes it seems that we are only able to see the negatives about ourselves in a clear light while the good points are obscured until someone points them out to us. Why is it that the person we should know the best, is the person we sometimes know the least about. Why is it so hard for some of us to convey our own good qualities? A while back I put up a profile on Zoosk.com ... a dating site. On your home page, they have you write a little something about yourself, which will hopefully help to let someone know a little bit about you and make you sound appealing. Well, I just went back and read mine and I am ashamed to say that I don't even think I sound interesting. To be honest, after reading my "Story" I don't even think I would like to meet myself! What I wrote is below. I will give my self assessment afterward. I live in Rindge and I work out of my home, I have two daughters, 14 and 6. I home school both of my daughters. I train in the martial arts a couple times a week and help teach the little ninja classes twice a week. I am a 2nd degree blackbelt, as is my oldest daughter. We take our training seriously. I like to fish hike and go canoeing. I am not a big fan of TV. I prefer to read or to watch a movie on DVD. I like to go to the movies and concerts, and I love to take my daughters to museums. I also like flea markets and antique stores. I am a good cook, although I prefer to use a grill rather than the stove. I am not a vegetarian and while I can cook vegetables, I much prefer to cook a nice steak. I do not smoke or drink and preferably, you don't either. My ex-wife died in August, 2013 due to complications from alcoholism thus heavy drinkers and party girls need not apply. Part Two I am looking for someone who isn't into partying, likes children and doesn't feel the need to go out every night. While an appreciation of the martial arts or the willingness to learn isn't a necessity, it would be nice to find someone who actually does. Like most people I like to laugh and to make others laugh. A good sense of humor would be welcome. Aside from that, I am open to meeting new people. I have been out of the dating scene for over 17 years so it will be nice to meet new types of people. Well, there it is. While everything I said in the blurb there is true, I personally don't see anything there that anybody will latch onto and say, Wow, I'd really like to meet that guy! It is short and blunt and leaves nothing to the imagination... and nothing to build a dream on. Who really cares if I am a good cook? It's true, but no one really gives a shit. I don't drink, so I likely cut off about 80% of the eligible women with that statement. Moreover, two to four times a week I have basically said that I am either going to go and hit and kick things or teach kids how to properly hit and kick things.
I despise TV. Yep, that's gonna win me a lot of hearts.I like to read... so go amuse yourself for a few hours while I read this book! Well is there anything else? Well, now that you mention it, I said I like to go to the movies or concerts, but I never said what kind of movies I like or what type of music I like. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if women thought I'd probably like to sit through a night of chamber music... or maybe the chanting monks! So what could I have written that may have made me sound more enticing? Only things that either won't win me any friends, or things that are only partially true. For instance, while I love to go to rock concerts and have seen hundreds of bands, most of those were from when I was younger. My schedule only allows me to get out only so often. In fact, over the past two years I have seen only six bands... and four of those were on the same night! Yikes! So what else? I like to have deep discussions on a broad range of topics... economics, philosophy, psychology. In fact, when I can't find people to talk about these things with, I will write about them three to five times a week on my blog. I have my daughters write on the blog too, so you can basically see where the whole family is coming from! If you are looking for a snappy dresser, then I am not your man! I prefer jeans and a t shirt. I do know how to dress up. But after twenty years in a suit, I came to find I am most comfortable in jeans and a T. Shaving is optional in my world. There is a 90% chance that I won't shave on any given day. I will scrape it off every once in a while, particularly if we are doing something where it i expected that I don't look like the unabomber. Note, though, that I do prefer women who shave their legs and armpits. Women with bodies hairier than mine are a dealbreaker! Yep, I bet my new revised write up is just gonna win me a lot of hearts. Okay, folks, here's an assignment... particularly if you are a long-time reader. Write me up a story line that you think can win me favor with the roulette wheel of Zoosk! Try to make it honest! It can be funny or serious. Believe me, I will be amused by all of them. If one of them is really eye catching. I'll use it for my storyline on Zoosk. I am not a subscriber by the way, I just have a free account. I figure I can sign up quickly if someone catches my eye. That's me on the right. Today I'm going to talk about the Renaissance Fair. Yesterday I went to the Renaissance Fair. First I had breakfast at McDonald's. Then my Dad drove my sister, her friend and me to the Fair. There I met a friendly horse named Storm. He let me pet him and gave me a big kiss on my face. I saw many shows. I also ate lots and lots of cotton candy and pizza.
Ashleigh I've been tired all day, and while I did just sit for roughly a half an hour trying to come up with a good topic for a post... I couldn't find any inspiration. However, I'd hate the leave this post empty, so I found some thought-invoking quotes that I can hopefully return to when I get writer's block in the future. Hopefully, you find the same inspiration in them and get your own meaning from them. If you have a certain interpretation you'd like to share, please leave it in the comments.
"Don't depend too much on anyone in this world, even your own shadow leaves you when you're in darkness." "Everyone wants to be the sun, to light up someones life- but why not be the moon, and brighten their darkest hour?" "Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think." "She had blue skin, and so did he. He kept it hid, and so did she. They searched for blue their whole life through, then passed right by and never knew." "It matters not what road we take, but what we become on the journey." "One small crack does not mean you are broken. It means you went through a struggle and did not fall apart." -- Maddie God, I wish some of my friends understood this quote... It's so truthful and it's something I believe every person should know. Too many people value themselves based entirely on the opinions of others, and in today's society it's quite easy to see why. Social media trains us that if we aren't a certain body type that we aren't desirable to others, while the television feeds us propaganda that trains us to judge others and to judge ourselves based on the falsities we come across in most pop culture.
I've seen my friends become fixated on becoming the "ideal" person they see in movies, and I've seen other friends still stereotype people based on appearance and even break up with people due to JUST appearance. It makes me sick, how some people can be so shallow and idiotic. When someone gets insulted about their appearance... the hit goes deeper than most would imagine. It opens up multiple insecurities and can trigger a lot within the person that some may not even see. Examples of this include one of my friends constantly dying her hair due to being told her natural color was "hideous and dead" once... another one of my friends is extremely shy due to being shamed for her looks when she was younger, and still others have insecurities about weight due to harsh past comments and have gone anorexic because of it. One of my friends thought that if she lost enough weight, her ex would take her back... as he was the one who put that negativity onto her in the first place. Let's end this on a more positive note- what anyone says about you is honestly nothing you should let affect you too greatly (in the case of appearance especially). Don't allow other people... particularly people who have deservedly been left in the past... define your worth. The sun was beautiful before I acknowledged it, and you were too. That is the logic that should be applied to that situation. Beauty comes in many forms, as well- flowers are beautiful, as are thunderstorms. They are simply different kinds of beauty, and we all have our appeal. Keep your head up and remember to stay true to yourself, and never let another person tell you who you are or what your purpose is. -- Maddie Today I am writing about rainy days. When there are puddles outside, I put on my rain coat and my rain boots. Rainy days are grey, but sometimes the sun tries to peek out. I have a cool, clear umbrella that has a cat on it. It has pink polka dots on it. It keeps me dry. Rain drops falling on it can be seen on the umbrella.
Ashleigh Today I blew bubbles outside. I used a large bubble stick to make many bubbles. I don't play with regular bubbles a lot. I just like to play with large bubble sticks. It is a fun thing to do on a warm afternoon!
Ashleigh This quote really struck me- and it came from the most obscure place; too. I plucked it from a game walk through I had been watching on YouTube. It was a quote in a very psychological game, and I figured I could try and elaborate on it a bit. Now, the first thing that crossed my mind while reading this was my dad and his work.
My dad is a stock analyst who works from home. For as long as I can remember, he's always been around. Things can grow tough at times; but at the end of the day he gets to watch me and my sister grow up and he is always there to support and help us- and that's what he values above all else. However, with his recent job... He's been having less and less time, it seems. My dad has always been happy with what he does. One of the most important things to him (besides me and my sister) is happiness; particularly when it comes to a job you could be working at for the rest of your life. Due to this factor, my dad had run his own business for a long time. It's only recently that he's begun working for someone else again- and while he can work from home and earns enough; he doesn't seem as happy as he once was. Sure, he enjoys the work... But he has so much of it that it can't possibly stay entertaining. I personally am a person who has to constantly be doing something. I get bored very easily, especially of repetition. I can only imagine that my dad is the same. To get back to the quote- I want to just dedicate this post to my dad solely. Go back to owning your own work, dad... It may take time and you might have to put up with this job a while longer but at the end of the day; it is better to own your work than allow it to own you. And I believe you've fallen into a slump of letting your workload (and the company you work for, for that matter) control you away from true happiness. Maybe this is the cause for the state of grey. -- Maddie This is a quote that I believe in whole-heartedly; and honestly is a quote that I try to live by (and I would highly suggest others to live by it, as well). It states the very point I find myself so constantly rehearsing to my friends: Worry won't change the outcome of anything; it'll just stress you out further. Which I suppose in and of itself could change the outcome of things; I mean... nerves are quite powerful... but the outcome would probably only be worsened by the tenseness and anxiety.
Thus, this is why I live without worry as much as I possibly can! I know how it can be like to get stressed out over meaningless shit because I used to do it to an unhealthy extent; and it never got me anywhere besides just breaking me down and wreaking havoc in my life. My friends often fall victim to it as well... they haven't learned yet how negative it can be. Well, they certainly must have... I say it often enough. None of them apply what I say enough for it to make any kind of difference or have any lasting impact, however. So what's the point of this post? Well; forgive the shortness but I think I cut it right to the point!!! The quote brings things to a stand-still and there's not much more I can do with it from here. It makes its point clearly. My advice? Don't get worried over ANYTHING. Worry is all in your head and is just something annoyingly stupid your brain does to stress you out and fool you into being unhappy... and life has enough of that as it is. -- Maddie It's funny how the mind works. Every once in a while you'll hear an old song in a new light. It happened to me today. The song "Question" by the Moody Blues came on. I have known and liked this song for decades. I saw the Moody Blues in concert once back in the late '80's or early 90's (who can remember dates!). And yet, I saw the song in a whole new light today! For those of you who don't know it, the song is about the choices young men had to make during the Vietnam War. The writer, Justin Heyward, always said that the song was actually two songs he put together to make one. Well, when it came on the playlist today on my iPad there was one part that really made me feel a deep sense of loss. I'll quote it below and then give my thoughts on it afterward. If you don't know the song, I just posted it on my facebook page. Feel free to go listen to it there, or just look it up on youtube. "Between the silence of the mountains And the crashing of the sea, There lies a land I once lived in And she's waiting there for me. But in the grey of the morning My mind becomes confused, Between the dead and the sleeping, And the road that I must choose. I'm looking for Someone to change my life. I'm looking for A miracle in my life! And if you could see, What it's done to me To lose the love I knew, Could safely lead me to The land that I once knew... To learn as we grow old The secrets of our soul." To me, these are the words of someone who has suffered a great loss. They immediately made me think about my wife and how much I miss her. How sometimes upon waking in the morning I feel like she had been there resting with me, but that it is now time for me to return to the land of the living.
In the end, I think we are all looking for miracles. The one person who can bring happiness back into our lives. The only thing is, that that person is already here for all of us. There is no need to find them. We are it. Only you can control how you respond to life. You are the maker of your own reality. You can make it happy or sad.. Most of us let our reality bounce around so much that we don't realize the control we have over our own happiness. Still, life is better when its shared. Wanting someone new to enter your life is not a bad thing. As long as you don't make it the only thing. I chose the silence of the mountains, over the crashing of the sea... and that is part of how, I bring happiness to me. Above is a picture of my driveway. And to me, it is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Not the pavement itself (I am not THAT crazy), but the way it fades away into the woods. It reminds me of a line in one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost, about the road less traveled.
There is beauty to be found in going ones own way. Too many times, I have been lured towards someone else's sense of beauty, and been disappointed. Not that what I saw wasn't beautiful... just that it wasn't really for me. Cities that I have been told are exciting or quaint, just end up being another overpopulated shit hole. Meanwhile, cities that I have been told I would hate, oftentimes hold good memories for me. Maybe it was because I went in fearing the worst, and then found things less bad than I thought (All except for Detroit... That town I was told was a hellhole and I found everyone was right about that one! I have fond memories of Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, yet remember being disappointed in San Francisco, Philly and Las Vegas. Phoenix and Nashville were both full of charm, while I found Miami, Baltimore and New Orleans a bit worse for wear. I am sure others may find my opinions backward. As I said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is rare that I find cities beautiful. Instead, I like scenes that are closer to what my driveway looks like. Since I was young, I have always had a desire to run away to the woods and recharge. I used to love to go up to my Aunt and Uncles farm in Canada when I was a kid. In my teen years, I would often go hiking by myself or with my dog in Hartshorne Woods. The trail was about 3 and a half mile and ran in a loop. You could walk from Navesink all the way to Twin Lights if the mood struck you. Oftentimes, I would go right before sundown. If you walked up the right loop of the trail you could branch off and walk up a steep incline. Once you made it to the top, there was a big rock (or group of rocks, it's been a long time) that would let you look out over what I always called the Buttermilk Valley. Oddly enough, I don't know if that is what it was really called or not. It must have been, because I likely would not have come up with such a sappy name for it on my own! Even so, I would often hike up there alone with a small cooler or a cigar or pipe, and sit at the base of the large rock and watch the sun go down over the valley. It wasn't a perfect view, but it was a nice view and it was very peaceful. I'd sit there and watch until dusk started to fall and the shadows were getting long. Many times, I would go down the hill again practically in the dark. I didn't mind. I enjoyed catching a buzz up there alone in the quiet. Sometimes I would hear people above me on the rock. Sometimes they would smell my cigar or pipe and stop down to chat. That was okay too. I'd share a beer with them and talk awhile. But the best times were when no one bothered me, and I got to sit there and enjoy the view with my own thoughts. I find my home at the top of "my" mountain has the same feel for me. I do not have a view overlooking the mountains or a valley. In fact, I am surrounded by trees, But I still love to look out the window of my office, or go stand on my front porch and look out over my yard and into my woods. I like to feel the sun on my face (or a brisk wind) as I stand and listen to the wind blow through the pines. The peacefulness I get from that just can't be found in the city. Do I ever miss the city? Yes, sometimes. I still like to go to museums or go to concerts etc. and for that, cities are useful. People watching is also usually more fun in the city too... since you get a hell of a lot more variety. But even so, I would not trade my little slice of heaven for an apartment anywhere near the city. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for me, I have found that beauty in the hills of New Hampshire. Today I sent thank you cards to my aunts and uncles. They had all sent me presents for my First Holy Communion. I wanted to thank them for thinking of me. I sent out six cards in total. We will mail them tomorrow.
Ashleigh In previous posts; I have written about living a life in gray.
Having no black or white to define emotion or feeling. And recently, a talk with my dad has brought my thoughts on this topic to surface again. I lack understanding of the gray emotion. As my dad describes it; he is never really happy or satisfied completely; just- either neutral and rather emotionless or sad, on occasion. I am the polar opposite of this. I feel emotions to extreme degrees- and my emotions and moods switch at whim. It's annoying, to be honest. I'll go from complete euphoria to depression in a matter of literal seconds; and nothing is worse than when THAT lovely change occurs. It's a shock to the system that can be hard to deal with- especially considering the fact that these moods can last from months to just a few minutes. I guess you could say I live a life of black and white- harsh extremes on either side of the scale. I can't understand feeling nothing; though that too will come around in times of depression. I always count it as the darkest shade of black; however... not grey. I guess the definition can change if you live like that constantly. "I don't know what it was like to be happy... I'm afraid to find out I never was." -- Maddie Today I'm going to talk about My first holy communion. On Saturday I had my first holy communion at church. I was given a communion wafer that was blessed by the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Ashleigh “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” This is a quote from Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. If you haven't read the book, you really should. Carroll wrote the story for a little girl, and while most of the story is whimsical, he hid pearls of wisdom throughout the story to help teach the child life lessons while she read. Many of the lines are memorable in themselves and no real explanations are necessary. I have put three examples below.
Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don’t much care where--" said Alice. "Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat. "--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation. "Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough.” In this small exchange between Alice and the Cheshire Cat, Carroll has hidden an important life lesson. Without some idea of what you want to accomplish, you will only drift your way through life. While Carroll used a cross road to set up this exchange, It is easy to see how he could be warning the girl to think about what she wants out of life before she goes running off chasing rabbits. To set out without a destination in mind can easily lead to nowhere. And, if you stop to get directions you must have some idea of where you want to go or what you want to accomplish for any response to be meaningful to you. In the story, Alice speaks to the cat, who doesn't really care where she goes. In real life though, a child may speak to someone who has an agenda for them. This could be the child's parents, or a friend, or just a stranger with an agenda. Instead, the cat is blunt and tells it like it is. If you don't know where you want to go, then it really doesn't matter what direction you take. “Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” Here again is a good piece of advice for a child hidden among the ramblings within a story. Oftentimes, young children wish to convey information to an adult, but don't really know where to begin. Many times they will just stand there and stammer and not make any sense at all. In this quote, Carroll has the king explain to Alice how to best make herself understood by everyone. The advice is simple, and to the point, and a great lesson for a young child to learn... if they are astute enough to pick up on it! Carroll dropped many pearls of wisdom throughout the story, and while it's likely that a child will not pick up on all of them, they would still likely be able to pick up on some of them. “I don't think..." then you shouldn't talk, said the Hatter.” Here is another one! Direct and to the point. Think before you speak. This advice, I find, is designed to keep everyone out of trouble. No further discussion is necessary for this one. Think before you speak. And if you are going to say something negative... then think twice! What wonderful advice for an adult, let alone a child. Now back to the first quote I mentioned: “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” Alice In Wonderland is in itself a perfect example for this quote! Carroll used his imagination to teach life lessons that he hid among the text in his whimsical story. And his lessons have endured for more than a century. Given the popularity of Alice In Wonderland, it's likely that his lessons will be ready for many more years to come as well. Although Alice has become part of the popular culture, and the movies and games do not have all of the pearls of wisdom on display, the movies introduce Carroll's world to a new generation. At least some of these viewers will likely want to see more, and eventually find the book to read. The reality here is that fewer and fewer people are reading books nowadays. Attention spans are getting shorter, and many people seem to like to read only short snippets and prefer to get their "culture" through videos and television. For those who want more, Alice In Wonderland is a great book to escape into and allow your imagination to run free. Hard lessons can be learned easily with the use of a little imagination. I think Carroll would agree with that thought. |
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