WE ONLY LEARN WHAT WE WANT TO LEARN

Image courtesy: Internet

Meeta, my friend, shared an inspiring quote this morning:

“Your best teacher is

your last mistake.”

But, the next moment, I was wondering if it was:

 ‘Your last mistake

Is your best teacher.”

Attitude. Perspective. Outlook. Paradigm… Call it by whatever name you like. But, they all boil down to the same essence:

In Life, you only see what you want to see… You only hear what you want to hear… You only learn what you want to learn… The moral of the story is what you like to draw from the story… Yes, what ‘suits your fancy, your imagination’!

One of the earliest motivational books I had read was ‘Your Erroneous Zones’ by Dr. Wayne Dyer. He starts with this story:

“Once a very famous motivational-speaker – they call themselves ‘Life-coach’ these days – had come to transform the lives of a group of chronic alcoholics. It was believed that the man, with his charm and power, would compel the addicts to kick the bottle once and for all…

So, our miracle-man stood before the group of alcoholics with a demonstration, which, he was dead convinced, would do the trick…

He placed on the table two glass jars - one filled with crystal-clear water, the other with pure, undiluted liquor.

Then, the speaker opened a box of worms. He pulled one long worm and dropped it in the first jar which contained pure water. To everyone’s delight, the worm gently swam through the water and settled on one side of the glass jar…

There was an applause!

Next, the speaker pulled another worm and dropped it in the second jar which contained undiluted spirit… And, even before anyone could blink, the worm disintegrated into a thousand pieces!

There was a stunned silence in the room!

A long pause later, the trainer asked, “What did you learn from this, my friends?”

Instantly, a hand went up, from the last row… It was Johnny.

“Yes Johnny, “the speaker said extremely impressed, “tell me, what did you learn?”

“Sir, I learnt,” Johnny said, unable to stand firmly on the ground…

“Yes, Johnny…”

“Sir I learnt…”

“Tell me, what did you learn?”

“Sir, I learnt,” Johnny was, finally, able to hold himself straight, “that, if we drink the way we do…”

“Yes, yes, tell me Johnny…”

“Sir, if we drink the way we do…”

“What will happen?”

“ALL THE WORMS IN OUR STOMACH WOULD DIE!”

The applause was louder and longer… But, the legend has it, that, it was the last time this speaker – the Life-coach – tried to change someone else’s life!

GERALD D’CUNHA