Words for the Wise

Certainty is a luxury of youth. I came to that conclusion recently while I was talking with an old high school buddy of mine. We were catching up on each other’s lives, and digging up some old memories. I was pleased to discover that somehow, those cocksure, clueless kids we had once been seemed to have grown up into reasonably presentable adults. But it was clear to me that any wisdom we had gained over the years came from one main source: we had finally figured out how much we didn’t know.

Our twelve-year-old is at the very start of that journey. She just recently discovered that she knows absolutely everything. The corollary, of course, is that we don’t know crap. I’m only now learning how to fully embrace that fact. Not knowing crap is the source of all curiosity and learning. Not knowing crap is the gateway to a world full of mystery and discovery. Not knowing crap is the best. 

I think there should be something like the Serenity Prayer, only for wisdom.  It could go something like this:

“Grant me the conviction to stand by what I know,

the courage to admit what I don’t,

and the wisdom to know the #*&$#@*&% difference.”

Amen.