Learning from (others') mistakes!

I remember that night I was standing in the balcony many years ago, holding a cigarette in my hand. I was playing out a deep dilemma whether I wanted to take in my first cigarette or not. My friend walked into the balcony, and was shocked to see the cigarette in my hand.

"What are you doing with that cigarette?"

"I am just thinking if I should smoke this or not."

"Why would you want to smoke that?"

"Just experimenting"

"Take my advice. My addiction with cigarettes started with that first one, and I am still struggling. Don't take it."

I did take it - his advice that is! And I am glad I did. Given how I handle things in my life, I am sure I would at this point be "trying" or "planning" to quit smoking. But is there anything wrong in experimenting? No! But why would you want to experiment with something that his been tried already and a historical legacy of the results are available? One reason I think is that "experimenting" results in "experience" which engages multiple dimensions of yourself to register the results. The pleasure or the mistake (pain/suffering) is stored and can be accessed, perhaps, without even thinking. The way of intelligence is different. It involves short-circuiting to the end result without experience. Which means it needs insight - shallow or deep depending on the circumstance. The deeper the insight, more are the vistas that are available for making decisions without experience. While experience is a powerful communicator of results, it is a very slow process of creation and evolution. With intelligence, very rapid strides can be made in progress (any form of progress - learning, spiritual or decision making) because bypassing experience allows leaps in the journey.

It is quite intelligent to rely on intelligence!