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2 I The Best Online Education System in the world
WHY IS EXPERIENCE NEEDED?
Alex Badion
Class of 2001, Eastern Visayas State University - Tanauan Campus
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education
We don't really believe into something unless we have seen it. We don't have the guts to explain something without
sufficient knowledge about a certain matter. We can't give a valid proof without truly understanding a particular event. We
can't really tell and inform other people a beautiful experience in a momentous travel unless we have immersed ourselves
into that specific breathtaking place. All these don'ts and cant’s cited are related or associated with what we call -
experience. It might be a common question to ask what really the meaning of experience is. Anybody could give his or her
own meaning about this word. An experience may mean knowledge. It can be an understanding. It can also mean evidence.
It might be an involvement or observation. An experience can be an affair or occurrence. We always have a daily experience
in all aspects of our lives. However, it's hard to elaborate a certain scenario, an exposure or involvement without knowledge
and to a greater extent, without real experience. In our daily undertakings, we always give emphasis about the worthy
moment we have totally experienced.
The acquired learning and obtained knowledge from books and teachers and professors are not perfect in some respects.
They are tedious and uninteresting and not really digested, consequently, not totally absorbed. Unless they are formed,
molded and shaped by the spirit of wisdom gained from experience, they are misleading and sometimes dangerous. This is
not to underestimate the importance of books and other reading materials. After all, the knowledge contained in books is
based on experience. But experience is endless and we must constantly modify verbatim knowledge in the light of practical
experience. If we drop by and take enhancing look of these historical places like, The Great Wall of China, The Pyramids at
Giza, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Taj Mahal in India, and Parthenon in Greece, what we have studied and learned about these
places from the textbooks on history will take on life, color, and vividness. There can be no better way of learning the
geography of different countries than actually visiting them and understanding them beforehand. To take examples of a
different kind, do we not prefer an experienced doctor or a lawyer to a novice, however, highly qualified he may be? In
certain walks of life like politics and education, experience is a must. It is essential. An arm chair politician is inefficient and
draws a poor figure for the whole society. Likewise, a half-baked teacher is not effective and tags a dull and passive
impression for the whole studentry.
A famous proverb says “Experience is the mother of wisdom”. How does it guide us and how do we understand the whole
package? PreserveArticles.com, an online publishing site, wrote that we know the meanings of several phrases and
proverbs in a vague, general manner. Then, we personally experience the truth contained in them, we discover their real
meaning, and they cease to be stale and commonplace. For example, the phrase 'fish-market' figuratively meant an
extremely noisy, disorderly place. But it was only when we happened to visit a fish-market for the first time and observed
the tremendous bustle and noise that prevailed there that the actual meaning of the phrase flashed across our minds with
the clarity and freshness of a discovery. How often do we repeat the familiar proverb 'a friend in need is a friend indeed’?
We really understand its truth only when we are deserted by our so - called friends in times of adversity. The lessons
learned from experience will not be forgotten. If you tell a lie and consequently find yourself in a tight corner, you are not
likely to repeat your mistake in the future. Certain unworthy and bitter experiences - failure and suffering make us realize
our errors and shortcomings and thus teach us how to improve ourselves. As simple as it is, the search for truth never stops
unless you experience it. The exposure is a significant factor to validate the total involvement. Experience is necessary at
the right time in the right place whatever the case may be.
Questions for discussion:
1. What springs to mind when you hear the word “experience”?
2. When does an experience become a valid proof? Give an example.
3. How do we handle unworthy experiences in life? Cite a situation.
4. Why is experience needed in our life?
5. Explain “Experience is the best teacher”.