The Weekday Ramble is a daily dose of sports, music, culture, and more from Rambling On founder Erik Ritland. For more information check us out on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, or at our website.
Thursday July 16, 2015
#ThreeQuotes week continues with some wisdom from the masters.
A universal truth
Advice to the stupid produces anger
-Ancient Indian proverb
Giving well-intentioned advice is the hallmark of a healthy relationship, whether it's a spouse, friend, or otherwise. You want to help the other because you care about them and love them. They don't have to accept the advice, but smart people can “take what they need and leave the rest” as Robbie Robertson would say.
It takes maturity to be able to take constructive criticism well, much less advice (especially if that advice isn't asked for). When I was younger I'd get angry when people would correct me at all. Or show me a way of doing something that was easier than what I was doing. Pride being the chief of all sins and all that. The older I got the more I understood that people usually have my best interest in mind when giving advice.
Say it ain't so
To believe in one's dreams is to spend all of one's life asleep.
-Ancient Chinese proverb
So much for 'follow your dreams,' eh? This is great advice, albeit some that I (ironically considering the above) don't want to take.
Dreams are a tough thing. Do I dream of being a writer? A musician? Yes. Are either of those things practical? Will they sustain me, much less a family? Probably not. And that's a total drag. Haunts me every day.
Stay young
Youth is intoxication without wine; old age, wine without intoxication.
-Ancient Peruvian proverb
This is quite the riddle. Youth is something to hold on to, but not for the reasons commonly believed. Youth isn't great because it's the time for recklessness and stupidity. It isn't the best time of your life because you're more attractive (for the most part; we all know those rare women and men who look better with age). Youth is vital, especially when you're youngest, because of the wild sense of wonder that the young have. “Intoxication without wine” - a wonderful way to put it.
In old age we drink wine to get intoxicated (or “gladden the heart” as the good book says) and we still can't reach those highs. Unless we have that naturally, or train our mind to. For example, G.K. Chesterton was a big kid until the day he died. You have free will; exercise it to see the wonder all around you, to be as a child.
Erik Ritland is a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota. His blog and podcast Rambling On features commentary on music, sports, culture, and more. He was also Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik's music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.