Learning is a joyful experience as the learner comes to know many things he has not known before. As the famous quotation says ‘Knowledge is power’ the learner feels more powerful as he learns more things. Knowledge does not mean just having an idea about something. It is experiencing what one reads in the books or learns from others that can be called true learning. However, learning is not always a pleasant experience. Sometimes, the most painful experiences in life teach us the lasting lessons. I have had a fair share of experience in this regard. The most painful and insulting moments that I underwent in my past have taught me valuable lessons in learning to be cautious, taking responsibility for my actions, and learning to be a team member.
As most of the young people, I used to be a bit careless in my attitude. I thought I could do any thing in a short time independently without any body’s help. I even tend to neglect what my teachers told when assigning some work to us. One day last year I had a bitter experience that I could not digest so easily. My English assignment was out rightly rejected as I did not follow the instructions of my teacher. That morning as usual I went to class and had submitted my assignment before I took my seat. Hardly had I sat at my place when I was called by my teacher in a voice that I was never called. He was very harsh in his comments. He asked me to leave the class immediately and asked me not to enter the class until I completed the work properly as he told. That was the bitterest experience in my life. I felt it so bitter as it was my first experience in tasting failure. It taught me a lesson not to be negligent and careless when listening to the important instructions. I learnt to be very cautious and careful from then onwards with all my assignments. Even now I double check all my assignments before I submit them.
My second experience also strongly convinces me that people learn when they feel the pain. When I was in my high school, our class was divided into ten teams. Each team was assigned a task to perform. It was a simple task of collecting information about the neighborhood that we lived in. As many of my team mates lived in the same neighborhood, I thought somebody would do the work for the entire team. Every one thought the same way and no body took it seriously. On the day of submitting our work, I was called first by my teacher. I never expected that I would be called on behalf of my team. I was much embarrassed that I could not even respond to the call. I sweated a lot though I did not shiver as a result of serious feelings of guilt. Even now after many years I feel ashamed of myself. This experience has taught me to take responsibility for all my actions.
My recent experience when I worked with a team of eight members has left an indelible impression on my mind. Feeling that I am more intelligent than other members in the team, I began neglecting other members and I never bothered to listen to certain members. As a team member it is my responsibility to coordinate with every member in the team to see that our assigned work is done according to the guidelines. Coordinating with all the members of the team is my responsibility. I just once announced all the rules when our team met and I never made it a point to meet any member personally. As the nature of project is highly complex, unless the team members maintain good communication with one another, it is nearly impossible to complete the work in time. I was so foolish that I did not guess that every one in the project was looking for my help in getting the help of other members. We failed as a team and I was the responsible for the failure of the team. Naturally, I was blamed for the failure. I own it. It taught me a serious lesson in life. I realized my mistake and I began to be an active team member from then.
Thus, all the three most painful experiences in my life taught me lessons of everlasting importance. I am convinced that ‘painful experiences can sometimes teach valuable lessons.’
