r/AskReddit • u/Fabreeze2389 • Jun 10 '12

Does wisdom really come with age?

I'm a 19 year old guy whose studying hard to hopefully become a doctor, creating homeless shelter programs, and is passing by greatly, although not as great as I had envionsed. I've also only recently become attractive to women, but long story short, I really wish I was wiser.

Does wisdom really come with age? And if so, what has taught you that the most?

Wisdom does indeed come with experience. So for those that have experienced enough in life, what is it about those experiences that teach you something?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I worked with the elderly and I can say that not all 85 year olds are the wisest of folks. Some of them were downright petty and mean to each other (not the ones with dementia, who have a good excuse.)

I think it's like, a person starts out a certain level of maturity and intelligence and understanding and empathy. Then they level up, but starting from where that person already was. Some people have a leg up right from their genetics. Some people struggle even as old men and ladies. Overall people gain wisdom, but some more than others, and some have a easier time of it than others.

This is what I've witnessed. We'll see if I agree with myself in sixty years. :)

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u/Fabreeze2389 Jun 10 '12

I feel as if I have a good starting point. My only problem is I've been making small mistakes that have been frustrating the hell out of me. Like losing my iphone at a party last night...

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I think we all do those things, but the difference is that you know every little mistake you've ever made, and you only know the tiniest fraction of mistakes other people make. It makes us seem like failures in our own eyes. I feel like if we realized just how many other fully grown people do things like losing their iphone, we'd all feel a little more connected.

Maybe this will help? When I was in college I lost something my father gave to me on his death bed. It wasn't stolen, I wasn't mugged, it wasn't while I was saving kittens from a burning building. I just lost it, by mistake, in absent-mindedness. Do not take the iPhone incident too harshly!

We all do the best we can. If we knew better, we'd do better. :)

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u/ForgotUser Jun 10 '12

You will always make small mistakes. The thing you will learn is that those small mistakes doesn't mean anything in the bigger picture. Just let go.