Joel Hendon

Wisdom Cometh With Age…But Who Said So?


Posted: Wednesday, September 14, 2011

by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html

One week from today, I will have completed one day of my eighty second year. I have been told by various people throughout my life, that one becomes wiser as he grows older. I have several questions concerning that though, and I have read many wise quotes, in the hope of finding the answers to those questions.

Question one, does that apply to all people or if not, which ones? I knew an elderly fellow once whom I suspect was then about my age now. He was a bitter old fellow. I believe he was a decent person. I was just a small lad, but he lived perhaps 200 yards from us so we knew each other well. He seemed to like me very much and encouraged me to come visit him often. I was there once at noon time and he made me a peanut butter sandwich. All of our neighbors around there were very poor and I thought a peanut butter sandwich was something to relish. I gave the old fellow a hug and he cried a little.

We raised hogs and some of them were penned near the old fellows house. Early one morning, an older brother of mine went near the old man’s house to feed some of our hogs and he was startled to see a stick standing on the front porch of the neighbor‘s home, with a red bandana tied onto it. When he came back to our house he got a neighbor man on the other side of us (my father was away on a job) to go with him to check on the old man. When they arrived at the house, the front door was slightly opened and they could see the fellow inside.

He had folded a quilt and laid it on the floor, he had whittled out a wooden stick about 18 inches long with a groove notched in one end. He had then sat down on the quilt pallet and had taken his 12 gauge shotgun, placed the butt of the stock against the wall and placed the barrel in the center of his chest and pushed the trigger with the notched stick.

I had always thought the old fellow was very wise, but sad. But after that, I have looked back in wonder and have not been able to reconcile wisdom with the actions taken by that old man. Yet, I can almost grasp the thoughts of him as he prepared for that final act. He was old, he had children who were almost passed middle age, any of which would have taken him in, but he would not hear to it. He was feeble, walked slowly and unsteadily with a cane and I can imagine how lonely he must have been. But he knew that he was welcome at our house anytime and he knew that I loved him.

His children searched the house to see what he may have had. The only money they found was one dime, in the bottom of a snapped change purse. They found a hand scrawled note which read, “I’m sorry to leave all of you like this but it is the only way I have been able to find to get out of the way.”

Living a solitary life, weak, feeble and being unable to ever have any hope of improvement would be indeed a reason for a burdened heart. But does that not show a certain lack of wisdom? It was a fact that his life was over as far as quality of life was concerned. I know that he must have had thoughts of becoming very ill and thus having to burden someone or lay and die from whatever it might be. But, knowing his family, whom all are now gone also, I firmly believe any would have taken him in and given him the best treatment they were capable of.

I was about 5 or 6 years old, but I found it very difficult to deal with…and I still cannot resolve the problem.

I have read one quote of wisdom which answers the question of why my own wisdom has not shown up. And here it is, perhaps worth a half smile after this article. It is by a man named Tom Wilson, and I am not even wise enough to know who he is/was.

“Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself.” 
Author Biography: Joel Hendon was born near Gadsden Alabama. He attended public schools in Cherokee County, Alabama and after serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, attended Jacksonville State University, majoring in Business Administration. He became a Christian in 1948, and although he followed secular work as a career and retired from Allied Signal Aerospace, he is an avid student of the Holy Bible and related works as well as biblical history. He has an extensive website of conservative religious and political articles.http://hebronics.org/index.html

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