Lessons from the Wisest Man I Know

My dad is, by far, the wisest man I know.

Growing up, and through adulthood, my dad and I would talk for hours on any variety of subjects--from philosophy and music to politics and spirituality. He himself is a great lecturer, and every time I get a chance to listen to him or talk to him, I realize that my lecturing skills were honed in our great debates of the first three decades of my life. Dad challenged me to think, to consider views he held with which I did not immediately agree. He made me wait and consider my position on a subject because, if I didn't, he would quickly tear my argument to shreds with his experienced logic.

I learned a lot from my dad back in those days. The older I get, though, the more I realize that he was right about so many things, including his predictions years ago about social programs and political and social trends.

I have long suspected that my Dad missed his calling as a professor or lecturer. Or, for those who know him, a calling to be a philosophical rabbi. He is a teacher. The skills he has demonstrated over the years, the way he explains difficult/philosophical/spiritual subject matter in a way anybody could understand, have been incorporated into the very core fibre of my being. I am the teacher I am because of him.

Since I've been married, though, I haven't had much of an opportunity to talk to him about any of the things we used to talk about. These days, there are always people around us, husband or kids or other family members, and it's hard to get his individual attention. He is a very proud and engaged "Grandpa" who puts our kids FIRST. And that's just how it should be: it's their turn!

If I get a chance to talk to my Dad alone, it is a rare gift, indeed. And because I don't often get this opportunity, I find myself at a loss in determining which topic to address. How do I determine what is MOST important?

Tonight, I had the rare opportunity to sit with him and talk alone. In the five to ten minutes we had, I jumped on the opportunity to ask him about a spiritual matter which had been troubling me of late.

His answer floored me.

I told him he needed a YouTube channel where he talked about important topics of modern relevance. I really wish everyone could hear my Dad speak. He's amazing!

Truly, he is the wisest man I know.