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What I’ve Learned By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo

It is enriching to sometimes pause and look back at what one has learned in life.

As time passes, we learn and grow. It is enriching to sometimes pause and look back at what one has learned in life.

I've learned ....  That those annoying things that my parents used to say have been wrung by time. Now they are the wisdom that I dish out with glee.

I’ve learned … That the words out of our mouth are photographic plates of our heart.

I've  learned ... That while it is good to be a winner, not all of us will be winners all the time. I'm content in knowing that each of us is a winner at something and at sometime. And that counts as winning.

I've learned ... That I should be scared of only one thing - the feeling that I know it all.

I've learned ....  That the final answer is that there is no final answer. The answer to today's question is a mere prelude to tomorrow's inquiry.

I've learned ....  That love is not "an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." Neither is it an irresistible desire to irresistibly desire. Love is the cricket you pull out of a hole if you moisten your straw well and wriggle it the right way.

I've learned .... That people who have nothing to lose will always defeat people who have everything to gain.

I've learned ....  That children are made for the sole purpose of reminding us that we special, but not all that special – that tasks that we cannot finish in our lifetime will be finished for us by those coming behind.

I've learned ....  That all medications have side effects, including the universally acknowledged placebo medication called laughter. Sometimes the side effects of a medication are worse than the disease it is intended to cure.

I've learned ... That we don't become our names. Our names become us.

I've  learned ....  That nobody is so poor that he or she has nothing to give. And so it is that nobody is so rich that he or she has nothing to yearn for. Even after we die, our corpse gives something to mother earth. Even after we've acquired everything we desire, our heart hungers for rest.

I've  learned ....  That we all have dreams, but those who achieve theirs are the ones who have enough drive to weather the seasonal storms of life that soak up our energy.

I've learned ....  That life’s race is like the race to reach 5000 Facebook friends. If you are engaged in life and you are open to accepting new friends, you will eventually reach it.

I've learned ... That inside every masquerade is a man shy about being himself.

I’ve learned … That mechanics see how well you have taken care of your car; doctors see how well you have taken care of your body; and pastors/imams/chief priests see how well you have taken care of your soul. But while mechanics fix your car; doctors heal your body; pastors/imams/chief priests fix themselves by exploiting your fear for the banishment of your soul.

I've learned.... That even when we give God a day off, He continues to roll the dice.

I've  learned ....  That the countercurrent of life beats us up. Those who make it are those who get up long after the wind has passed and left them for dead.

I've  learned ....  That life is like an android phone. You cannot install in it an app made for an iPhone.

I've  learned ....  That it sucks that we may not get everything that we asked for but that does not stop us from getting one thing that we did want - death.

I've  learned ....  That no matter how much of it that you have, money will always be scarce. What really matters is how much errands you can get the money you have to run for you.

I've learned ...That while some kinds of history announce themselves when they arrive, more often than not, they join without fanfare, participate anonymously, and it is long after they are gone that we feel the distance they have pushed mankind.

I've learned... That propaganda has its place in war and in peace, but it is never a substitute for hitting the pavements to win hearts and minds.

I've learned... That the greatest evil out there is not the evil that we see or the ones that we confront, but the evil that infects us for seeing or confronting it. If we are unconscious of that, we won't know when we become the incarnate of that evil that we thought we slayed.

I've  learned ....  That the only insane people on earth are those who scream that the sun will rise tomorrow.

I've  learned ....  That in marriage and in career, people do not settle because they are tired or because they are cowards; people settle when the mountain that they are climbing starts to grow as they climb.

I've learned ....  That from the perspective of the victim, a horrific offense is not made better by punishment.  And from the perspective of the perpetrator, it is not made worse by revenge.

I've learned... That it is often someone who is drunk that protests, 'I'm not drunk." And so it is that a person who is stupid protests by saying, "I'm not stupid."

I’ve learned…  That fractured bones heal faster than fractured souls.

I’ve learned … That I will keep learning until I get educated – which only happens when we are dead.

Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo is the author of “This American Life Sef!”

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