Why Do I Need This?

How will I ever use that seemingly useless information that I am bombarded with on a daily basis? Do you remember asking yourself that question as a student? I do. All I ever heard was that we live in the age of information and that someday it will come in useful. Ya right. It was the most painful way to torture poor children without leaving marks. So I thought.

Today, I am hopefully a bit wiser and certainly more open-minded when it comes to learning. It is hard to believe that this year will signal 50 years since I made that trek to the little white school in the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, and discipline. At least that is what it said on the walls of the cafeteria 14 years later as I went to meal hall at university. How to squeeze information into a closed mind that was focused on beer specials, sporting activities and who was hosting the Risk game that night at midnight.

As an adult and parent, the same demands are put on you as you volunteer and follow your children through all their activities. There are coaching courses, courses in etiquette that help to deal with the most dangerous beast on the planet. The “hockey parent”.

For all this rigamarole, I witnessed the use of some of this training while attending meetings a week ago. During a meal, one of our friends had a medical emergency which required skilled assistance. A couple of my coworkers sprang into action and prevented a tragic outcome by providing help and delivering CPR. They had learned this as part of their volunteer roles while involved in their kid’s sports. They deserve a lot of credit. They really are heroes. Our friend will make a full recovery and we will once again meet and enjoy each other’s company. A lot better than attending a memorial.

The lesson I received was powerful and eye-opening. We never know which tool we will need from our toolbox at the next experience in our life journey. But be assured that the tools and knowledge are there at our fingertips if we just trust and pay attention. Surprises can come at any time and usually when we least expect them. Whether it is health, family, financial or any other aspect of our lives, our preparedness will be as good as our attention to details in the time spent before. I sure hope your outcome will be as fortunate as our group the other night. It could have been a tough response to “why do I need to learn this stuff”.