Editorial August 17, 1992 Issue

Getting the right perspective

Russ Gerber

Several years ago a prominent journalist, serving as a commencement speaker, commented that he wasn't sure if he could say much to another generation that they would find helpful. Reading excerpts from his speech, I thought it was a surprising remark, because he surely had offered some useful observations about the long road ahead, a perspective that should have been profitable for the graduates.

It may be long after the last day of our formal education, during a settled moment at home or while visiting with friends, that we consider just how much we can learn from others. Hard-earned, personal experience is certainly valuable and unique; it can be instructive, especially if our own lives seem more complicated, less understandable. It seems natural, then, to look to others for guidance.

Yet, however much a family member's opinion or a friend's point of view can be helpful to us, it might also be mistaken. What we most need, as the Bible implies, is a spiritual perspective. In proverbs we read, "The Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."

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