What is experience?
Experience is a set of impressions, conclusions and judgments obtained as a result of events that a person has encountered in life. Also, there is the concept of experience as an indicator of the degree of skill acquired in the course of direct activity.
These two definitions are similar in that experience is gained through direct activity or interaction with real life. It is impossible to gain experience from descriptions or sources of information only by going through and encountering a certain area yourself. Experience acts as a mediator between the world and a person, as it allows the latter to act in accordance with the world, achieving the greatest efficiency for a person and the ability to avoid difficult situations. Acting through the prism of experience, a person is able to understand exactly what is happening, since he has encountered certain situations many times already. Gaining experience allows a person not only to know or understand, but to be convinced that a certain action will lead to a certain result, as well as knowledge of what actions should be taken in certain situations. Despite the fact that knowledge also indicates the necessary course of action, without experience it allows a person to only guess, which entails doubt, indecision and inability to fully do the right thing.
So, experience is the totality of:
- understanding
- impressions
- skills
- knowledge
- conclusions
- judgments
Useful experience is that experience that helps us in our daily life and professional activities , without creating prejudices for us on the one hand, and on the other hand, accurately indicating the possibility of error and danger. Acquiring such experience is a very long process, but this type of experience is the most valuable. You can only acquire it by receiving and correctly interpreting it. In the professional sphere, this requires a lot of work. And in ordinary life - wisdom and understanding .
Existence in society
It contributes to the accumulation of social experience, which is a set of skills necessary for participation in society.
What is experience in this context? This is practical knowledge about the joint life of people, which was recorded in the norms and principles of behavior, as well as in traditions, moral precepts, rituals and customs. It also includes feelings, reflexes, emotions, guidelines, views, points of view, languages and worldview systems.
Knowledge about all of the above is passed on from one generation to another. Without this, society is impossible. If at one moment the entire population, except for children under 3-4 years of age, disappeared, then civilization would die out. After all, kids would not be able to master all the skills of humanity. This is impossible without the transfer of social experience from adults who own it.
How to gain and gain experience?
A person is able to gain experience in life only by directly encountering various life situations, openly meeting them, and not avoiding them. Also, in order to receive the beneficial fruits of experience, a person must be able to correctly interpret the experience received. Since an incorrect perception of what happened can spoil a person’s opinion about something, and not indicate, for example, a lack of self-control or skills. This often happens in matters involving uncertainty, risk or lack of complete control. By intelligently and consciously taking risks, a person is able to gain significantly more experience than if he constantly avoided them, but, again, this must be a balanced act.
Those who have never made mistakes have never tried something new.
Albert Einstein
Experience in an activity, skill or knowledge appears in a person only when he applies the acquired knowledge or abilities in practice. As long as learning remains theoretical, a person cannot be considered competent in any field. Thus, theoretical study of martial arts will not give a person an advantage in battle against a competent fighter, and reading books on carpentry will not make a person a good craftsman. It talks about the need for practice, turning knowledge into experience. Only then is real competence and the ability to apply the acquired knowledge in practice acquired.
Gaining experience always requires time and effort, which are aimed at correctly understanding the experience gained. Learning from a more competent person who will pass on experience can reduce the time it takes to obtain it. Whereas refusal of such interaction leads to a large number of stops and stupors, when the student cannot realize what he is doing wrong. Although it is said that throwing a dart all day, sooner or later it will hit the target, in this case it is better not to just mindlessly throw a dart, but to learn the correct throwing technique, which will immediately increase the percentage of the probability of hitting the target. Comprehending stage by stage, the student gains experience as he encounters certain, previously unknown problems.
As a result, we can say that a person gains experience when he encounters new circumstances, people, situations, events and conditions of activity, which ultimately expand the horizon of consciousness, making the student more advanced. The perception of an experienced master differs from the perception of an inexperienced student, since the master has encountered many situations and spent more than one day honing his practice, which the student has yet to learn.
Only by learning, making new judgments, encountering new impressions and creating new events around oneself can one gain new, valuable experience. The question of gaining experience is always a question of active activity and understanding. Without understanding what is happening around, a person is unlikely to be able to learn important life lessons. And by refusing to take action and not meeting life halfway, there will simply be nothing to understand.
Spiritual work on yourself - gaining practical experience
To develop spiritually, a person must work on himself and gain practical experience. Spiritual work on oneself implies every second control of one’s state, control of thoughts, emotions, recognition of manifestations of the Spiritual and Animal principles in oneself, and being in the moment “here and now.”
“Only by changing yourself internally, by working on yourself, can you understand the real processes of the visible and invisible worlds, and consciously walk the spiritual path. In other words, internal changes must be, first of all, in the person himself, this is the meaning of his spiritual development!
Spiritual experience helps to understand what true happiness is, which gives rise to a feeling of peace and comfort, and why you should not chase the illusory illusion of this world. The most important thing is that you gain an understanding of who you truly are and what is the meaning of your existence here in this world.”
A. Novykh "AllatRa"
How does experience shape perceptions and worldviews?
Experience has a fairly large impact on the perception of the world, since impressions received during life can be imprinted in a certain way in the form of positive or negative experiences. There is a popular proverb:
“Blow on water after getting burned on milk”
This means that negative experiences from the past form a certain biased attitude not only towards the object with which the experience is associated, but also towards related things. A person saved from drowning will be afraid of water, from a fire - fire, someone who was seriously wounded by a knife will be afraid of sharp objects. And so on. Impressions form experience, which influences perception, which, in turn, shapes a person’s course of action and behavior, building a certain line of action in relation to certain areas. The totality of experience reflects the personality and its background, based on this, one can learn to understand the fears, desires and aspirations of others
Disappointment also greatly influences perception and disappointment is also a directly related experience in life. Imagine the embodiment of experience - a sage or an old man, is he capable of being disappointed? No, while a child or young man becomes disappointed in everything around him: in the world, people, authorities, activities, and so on. Disappointment is an event that is preceded by expectations, hopes and preconceptions. When getting involved in any subject or person, lack of experience threatens serious disappointment. Such events leave only two marks on fate: they make you stronger or they break you. They may not leave a trace at all, leaving them at the same level of development.
However, in order to form the right experience and combat negative experiences that prevent you from living more freely, it is necessary to acquire knowledge and process within yourself situations from the past that have affected the individual. This can be extremely difficult to implement, but getting rid of the burden with one heavy tension is easier than carrying it all your life.
We also recommend this article: Peace – what is it? Calm mind.
What kind of experience is there?
Experience can be positive and negative.
Positive experience
Positive experience is based on pleasant impressions and memories, on success and the pleasures derived from them. Positive experience convinces that this is the way of action that will allow you to become happy. And often people return to what brought them positive experiences, including other people. Positive experiences can also have a negative impact on life, as they take consciousness into the past, forcing us to return to those places where there was happiness. However, one should be aware that one should draw conclusions from such an experience, but not try to reproduce it again.
A person cannot enter the same river twice.
Heraclitus.
If a positive experience forces you to return to the past, then you should abandon this idea, recognizing that the circumstances have changed, and you have changed. After which it is necessary to understand why happiness arose then. And instead of returning to the past, you should strive to reproduce the main and most important component of your past happiness. Many people remember playing sports as a positive experience, although, in fact, such impressions were given to them by intense physical activity. Many people remember people from the past, although happiness was not given by the people themselves, but by feelings and situations.
We need to rethink the positive experiences that attract us to the past and thus turn past happiness into the present.
If a positive experience led to a positive long-term outcome, for example, maintaining control over oneself helped to avoid conflict, then the experience should be reinforced by thinking that it was the right thing to do, which comes from a positive, virtuous trait, realizing that this way will continue to act.
Negative experience
A negative experience is a set of negative impressions related to a specific person, activity, event or time in life. Negative experiences limit and do not allow you to return to activities, people, society, actions or habits that previously caused unpleasant impressions. Negative impressions repel the very thought of returning to those impressions. If such things are perceived as truly dangerous and harmful situations for life, associated with bad habits, a truly bad society or one’s own negative traits, then such perception will allow one to consolidate a new way of life and move on to a qualitatively new perception of life.
However, if a negative experience affects important and, at times, necessary areas of life such as, for example: relationships, work, activities, helping others, self-development, learning, and so on, then you should process this experience in yourself, realize that the negativity does not come from situation, but from our own perception and reaction to the events that occurred. Even if you don’t return to the past, getting rid of negative experiences in any case will be a breath of gaining freedom in activity. If you fear the largest and most important areas, is it possible to live fully?
Thus, getting rid of negative experience will either consolidate the rejection of what drags down fate by turning experience into understanding, or free the mind from previous prejudices, which will give more free will.
Army
In Russia, service is compulsory – that’s the law. This awareness should also be instilled in boys while they are still at school. And besides this, teachers must explain to future defenders of the Fatherland what combat experience is.
The army is a real school of life. All guys, while in military service, undergo physical and drill training, go to shooting ranges, and also receive a certain specialty (which one depends on the type of military service). The army teaches you to keep your word, endure unfavorable conditions and hunger, be responsible for what is said and done, choose people, and respect your elders. Service strengthens you in all aspects. After the army, guys become able to endure and do anything, even if they want to give up everything. The service helps you feel the true value of freedom, life, health, and, of course, loved ones.
Many people believe that all this can be achieved without an army. But only people who have not been there think so. A whole year spent in harsh, constantly brutalizing conditions is a combat experience that is never forgotten.
Path of Experience
Three paths lead to knowledge: the path of reflection is the noblest path, the path of imitation is the easiest path, and the path of experience is the most bitter path.
– Confucius
If we talk about experience as the path that leads a person, then this is one of the richest in the possibility of acquiring an understanding of the world, but the most painful and unforgiving teacher. Learning along the path of experience means testing everything not based on the knowledge and experience of other people, but following the already beaten paths yourself. There is a certain logic and knowledge that explains and points to the essence of objects; the rejection of knowledge and the authorities of more experienced people leads to the path of experience. There is a simple and clear illustration of this path - a beautiful woman walks through a bad neighborhood at night. We know that in bad areas crime is a threat to people, we know that the beauty of women is one of the targets of crime. Those who understand what will happen do not need to experience it. Thus, knowledge will allow one to avoid many dangers in a person’s life, but only knowledge supported by experience, both positive and negative, can deprive a person of doubt in his knowledge and the need to perform certain actions.
Experience is the best teacher, but the cost of teaching is too high.
T. Carlyle
Experience is a good teacher, but it creates too many bills to pay.
M. Antrim
Despite the fact that experience is the most bitter, difficult and painful for a person, sometimes it is the only way for someone who does not strive to have knowledge, does not want to learn and does not want to improve. A fighter who does not put enough effort into training will be beaten in competition, and a scientist who does not spend enough time training will be forced to make mistakes.
The path of experience is one of the paths. Yes, it's hard and painful, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Having learned through bitter experience, a person only becomes more convinced of the need for a certain way of life, the rejection of harmful things and the desire for what is necessary. So, through the path of experience, you can take more favorable paths while gaining a very important understanding of the value of knowledge and the value of preserving your inner world.
If you fall, try to pick something up from the floor
Scottish proverb.
So, experience is a set of impressions that form a person’s perception. It is also a set of conclusions, skills and judgments obtained in practice, if we speak in the context of abilities. Gaining experience is always a matter of encountering something new, and encountering something new always entails possible mistakes. We should not be afraid of mistakes and losses, as they point us to our own shortcomings and weaknesses. They should be seen as a possible springboard for our skills and ourselves. And then we will always be able to find our shortcomings and overcome them with the help of knowledge. Good luck.
About individuality
It is important to pay attention to the topic of what the experience of independence is. It is most often experienced by children and adolescents. A little less often – adults. It manifests itself in those moments when a person begins to do something on his own, without guidance, advice or outside supervision.
This experience is especially important for children. If they do not get this opportunity, then they will have nothing to comprehend. In this case, it is necessary that the child has a person with whom he could consult (parent, teacher, guardian, one of the relatives). Otherwise, his own experience of independence will turn out to be empty or imperfect. It is not right. Experience must be “processed.” Here’s an example: a child can pick out a simple melody on the piano by ear. But he will be able to play it correctly, with the “right” fingers, taking into account all the signs and pauses, only after working together on the piece with an adult. And there are thousands of similar examples.
