July 1, 2013

Experience

"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him."
     ~Aldous Huxley~



     We all know people who have gone through experiences that should have made them stronger, more interesting, more confident, or more empathetic. Yet somehow they've passed through the experiences seemingly unphased.
     We should see such people as cautionary examples of what happens when we fail to actively engage in the world. Our experiences are not going to do anything for us unless we choose to do something with our experiences.

I will try to see every new experience as a chance to learn about myself and grow into a better person.

My thoughts: I think it is a very important thing to learn from experiences and allow them to shape you into a better person, but I think this post is a little too black and white for me to fully accept it. I don't believe everyone who isn't a 'better' person from their experiences isn't living. They may have had enough of whatever they're going through that they choose not to deal with it anymore. Or they've learned not to let something painful affect them. To say that someone is 'failing to actively engage in the world' is not entirely fair. Don't let this quote get you down! Everyone has their own way of interacting with the world :) It's up to you what kind of live you live. Experiences will shape you, and who you are is influenced by your past, but it's ultimately up to you. You choose your life, you choose who surrounds you, you choose what you do, you choose how you do it. Do something you're proud of. :)