Hard Encounters

It's time to cheat a little -- The muse is back and I put this thought on my web-page. I liked it so well I thought I'd stick it here too.
A few days ago I heard a quote attributed to one of my favorite writers, C.S. Lewis. Made me wish I’d written that. Of course I’m a few decades too late, and my prose doesn’t come close to matching his. The man definitely had a way with words.
Have you ever been through a difficult time? I’ve certainly experienced my share, and it’s usually because I made some dumb decision. In an effort to assuage my burnt fingers I’ve developed a firm belief that anyone who hasn’t experienced the rigors of difficulty hasn’t lived yet.
On the other side of this reasoning is a saying that goes something like this. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. When we were little children we all, sooner or later, put our hand or fingers on something hot and burned ourselves. Taught us a lesson. Very quickly. Don’t touch the hot stuff. Life is often made up of events like that. That’s the way we often learn. It would be smarter sometimes to listen to other people who tell us something smart and avoid a little hardship. But at least we can avoid the same mistake twice, or three times, and remain somewhat sane.
Which brings me back to that quotation from C. S. Lewis. He said, “Experience is the most brutal of teachers, but you learn. By God, do you learn.”