“One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.” These words are lyrics from the musical Chess. The song was written by Murray Head. The words bring back memories of hard nights and humbleness that we have all encountered in our lives. Are there any of us who have not partied too hard, only to regret it the next day or who have burnt our candles at both ends only to get our fingers burnt as well? Hopefully, with age comes maturity and we gradually learn to be more humble in our expectations of what our bodies can endure. On the other hand, perhaps it is simply that our bodies wear down and we can no longer subject them to the abuse that we did when we were young.
Today, two drinks can get you a DWI and cost you much money, jail time and even your job. Perhaps, we could all learn more humbleness by watching and learning from the mistakes of those who have gone before us. Sadly, it often seems as though people all want to make their own mistakes and suffer the consequences rather than sip from the Fountain of Wisdom. The Fountain of Wisdom is the repository of knowledge and experiences from those “hard men” who have gone before us, only to be humbled by the realities of life. We should all drink daily from this fountain but most of us are not humble enough to do so. The philosopher Santayana said “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.” All too many of us will repeat the past because we are too proud to listen to others. The next time you think you are a “hard man”, think twice before you are humbled; as the saying goes: “Pride goeth before a fall.”
What do you remember from your “humbled nights?” When was the last time, you had a night you would rather not remember? When was the last time you stayed out all night or drank everyone else under the table? Do you still think you are a “Hard Man?” Can you take the council of elders? Have you learned how to avoid bad experiences by listening to the wisdom of those older and wiser?
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