Understanding Through Experience

 

There is a Japanese proverb that says, “A big house, big winds.” Literally, it means that the larger the house, the stronger the winds that blow against it. Figuratively, it suggests that the greater a person's status or wealth, the greater the challenges and worries they will face. In other words, each person carries burdens that are appropriate to their circumstances. From my own experience, I have learned that it is difficult to truly understand another person’s situation without having walked in their shoes. For instance, one cannot fully grasp the emotions and realities of retirement until they have experienced it firsthand. When I retired, I found that the experience was not quite as I had imagined. It was a reminder that perspectives often shift when we live through something ourselves rather than viewing it from the outside.

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