An old soul, that's me. All through college, my peers were quick to point out that I was secretly ancient on the inside. I was always chattering away about something I had read, a conversation I had with a professor, or something I had stumbled across on my many rabbit trails through research. If an old soul meant I preferred reading old books to thumbing through Twitter, then I am guilty as charged.
Knowledge is wonderful. I believe in staying on top of the current issues, and knowing where you stand on them. However, I also believe knowledge needs context; a foundation to be shaped upon. If our only sources are as old as yesterday's trending stories, we are missing out on a wealth of time-tempered wisdom. Luckily for us, it's everywhere – just waiting to be found and tapped in to.
Go to your library. Skip past the glossy bestsellers and new releases, and just wander around the shelves where the carpet is still nice and new looking for lack of being walked on. You'll begin to notice trends as you read the spines. History goes in cycles, and I bet you that if there is a current issue you are passionate about, you will find something written about it 50-100 years ago. Check out that old book. Thumb through it. Round out your knowledge and give yourself an arsenal of thoughts on a subject. For example, my feelings and arguments about academia developed in unexpected ways after discovering a whole shelf of books on the subject from the late 60's at my college library.
Make friends with people who have "lived through".Through their twenties. Through wars. Through bad elections. Through decades and decades of advancements and discoveries. Every few weeks in college, I would go have lunch with a sweet woman named Sister Edwardine. She was petite, and carried her lunch tray carefully balanced on top of walker. She was also one of the sharpest, wittiest people I have ever met. She started nearly every conversation with "So, sister – what's the news?" I would spill all of my struggles and concerns and victories to her while she listened patiently. Once, I expressed my anger at something happening at the college, and she slapped the table. "Let me tell you something. This isn't the first time they'll pulled this, and it won't be the last. When I was in school...." She would tell about her college days, and the issues that were big at the time, and as two alums with rings on our fingers, we would stitch the old and the new together. I always left with a new perspective, and still carry the advice she ended every conversation with: "Go with the flow. Things turn out the way they are supposed to, in the end."
There is great value in seeking wisdom from your elders. Yes, you're going to have different opinions on issues—but that is the point. If we live taking everything in the context and understanding of right-this-minute, we miss out on all of the wisdom around us. Whether it's your parents, a trusted mentor, your professors, or old books, historical writings, op-eds from decades ago, or just a conversation with someone who says "back in my day" often, start opening up your mind and heart to all of the perspectives around you. Use them to inform your own perspective, and develop your opinions and beliefs on a basis of wisdom, not trending topics.
After all, someday you will be the person that says "back in my day." What wisdom will you have to impart?
