In your lifetime, what has been the most positive learning experience?

Life lesson. Going through (hopefully almost done!) cancer. It’s taught me more lessons than I ever imagined. It has truly humbled me and made me really understand what is important to me and my life.

Not a lesson I would wish upon others, but believe me. If you are ever in these shoes, look at the bigger picture and learn. Understand that life is far too fragile to be so wrapped up in yourself or what you can gain from life. Stop taking things for granted and waiting for others to come to you – go out and live your life.

Hug your family, accept their faults and love them. Learn to laugh and often. Stop worrying so much – really, it’s ok if the dishes don’t match.

Cynicism doesn’t serve you well, it only shaves time off of life – and no, you aren’t always right about everything. Stop talking and listen. Stop being so damn judgmental and grow from others.

Those are things I’ve learned. Things I corrected in myself and things other cancer patients shared with me, how they changed. I’ll cherish those lessons, forever.

@cak. You’re answer was excellent, in my opinion.

For me, I attribute several things to my positive learning experiences in life.

- When I was younger, I lived overseas for several years and was able to learn about different cultures and lifestyles which helped me to be more worldly.

- I learned a wealth of positive, important, and educational things from my parents during my upbringing. They raised me very, very well.

- I credit my military career for having helped me learn about self-discipline, teamwork, diversity, professionalism, self-esteem, and the importance and usefulness of my accomplishments that I have achieved in my lifetime.

@cak: Beautiful answer…

My most positive learning experiences have come from my international travel in Europe, Asia, Middle East, and South America….I have learned that underneath it all we really are one in the same (we all desire shelter, security, love, and happiness) and am glad that my children have been along to experience some of my travels…

My life has taught me many hard lessons, and while I would not say I’m happy I had to learn them, I am a better person for it. My childhood was a fucking nightmare, and early adulthood wasn’t much better. As a direct result of my experiences, I am a much better mother to my children than my mother was to me. I am also very sensitive to injustice, wherever it rears it’s ugly head. I guess the bottom line lesson is that it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you handle it and move on that matters.

Thanks Blue and Googlybear.

@blue – what a wonderful leg up living abroad gave you! My step-brother feels the same about his military career – great answer!
@googlybear – how wonderful! What a great lesson to learn. :)
@august – so true – knowing that much is half the battle, isn’t it? :)

We’re nothing special.

pete, that is awesome and I now have no answer. Shizza!

I’m sure this will sound weird, or like I’m ducking the question, but it’s the truth as I know it. I truly believe that every second of life is a learning experience. I believe that learning is fun. I believe it is always valuable.

The learnings that life throws at you are not always fun. It’s not always clear what you’ve learned, either. I guess it’s a kind of attitude. What happens, happens. Good or bad, there’s little you can do about it.

What you can do is control your attitude about it; will you cry and rave at the pains, or will you seek out from them what you’ve learned? Will you explode in joy at the good parts, or will you seek out from them what you’ve learned?

The last year has been a rather unexpected adventure for me, as I started behaving very uncharacteristically. Eventually, I was diagnosed with bipolar disease, and this really threw me. I changed back and forth, and I had no control over it. Worst, I spent a lot of time so depressed that I thought I was almost ready to check out.

I felt like I was being drawn into depression; as if I wanted to be near death. Lately, though, things have been easier. But I have changed. I find myself with a heightened empathy. I understand things when few words have been spoken. I can often feel people like me, and I know who they are, before they’ve said a word, and I have no idea how it happens.

Depression has taught me this. Depression still calls to me, I guess. It probably thinks I’m a bit dumb, and could use a refresher lesson. I might just go with it, a bit. I do not like the way it makes me feel, but I do like the way it opens me up. It’s a costly lesson, though. And the currency you have to pay for it with—comes in short supply.

But it’s life. And it’s fun, even when it’s horrible, because it’s helping me learn something new. For that, I am always grateful.

@pete – that rocks! :) lurve for you!

@judo and cak: I truly believe that if everyone on the planet watched that and always kept it in the back of their minds the world would be a much different and better place.

I just bookmarked it to share with my husband and daughter. :)

@pete: I could not agree more. If everyone would just swallow their pride a little bit, just a little bit.

Pete, that video was amazing.

Smoking weed, reading Ram Dass, playing SNES, and realizing that this is basically a collaborative daydream where everything is arbitrary yet everything is God…..........

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