Wisdom from a stranger

Once again, Tom Ehrich taught me a lesson today in his daily email from On A Journey. He is in Helsinki and he shares his impressions of the people he sees while he wanders around the city. He says, "That's a first impression, and I could be dead wrong. That likelihood of error, in turn, suggests a larger point, namely, the simple fact - which we constantly deny - that we don't know as much as we think we know. We can process a lot of information quickly, but it takes longer to discern meaning. It takes an open mind to know anything deeply. Whenever we reach a conclusion, we need to keep checking it out. Wisdom isn't conferred by firm and fixed opinions, but by listening and learning." I ask myself how often I rush to a conclusion and then.... what surprises come my way later because I didn't stop to check it out.