Writing.Com General Discussion

I would suggest kindness is more important than smart. A good heart makes life worth living. Intellect can get in the way.

Which is not to say that intellectuals aren't needed. I'm pro-science and somewhat skeptical about many things, but I have a moral compass that helps me choose how to live my personal life.

I mostly write poetry and flash fiction. I only have a few words to paint a picture that hopefully evokes some emotion. If not... I'm better off writing an essay. I do rant away at times.

Unless you live in a multi-cultural city with friends from many diverse backgrounds different and similar to your own ... it becomes far too easy to live in one's head without any real outside experience (baling hay, fixing a car, nursing, climbing ... anything tactile can help). One can study the great philosophers sitting on a mountaintop, but if you want to eat it helps to know the way down into town and how to ask for food.

Unlike many of my friends, I went to school in another city, then another state, then another country. I travel ... a lot. I've lived in rural areas and in the inner city. Each place taught me something. I would suggest to all teenagers that they need to get out of their comfort zone.

I'm old enough to be your grandfather. Doesn't make me smarter though! (I wish... ) As for wiser? But I have experienced cultures and languages, different perspectives, (and have eaten far too much!).

So... I suggest kindness. Everywhere I've gone I've met kind people and the quote "I can always depend upon the kindness of strangers" is more true than not.