Dear Reader,
Like me, you may be wondering what exactly will be written about in this biweekly column. Every two weeks, I will make my best effort to provide some semblance of wisdom to a selected prompt provided by you — the community — or general wisdom when I feel like ranting, rambling or reflecting.
I think it’s necessary to preface this column with the disclaimer that I — as most of you who know me can attest — am far from being expertly qualified in navigating the challenges that life is famous for. I’m susceptible to habit. I’ve been known to make more than my fair share of mistakes and suffer dutifully for them, soldiering on through embarrassment and disappointment alike. Much to my annoyance, I let myself ponder on past occurrences to the point of rumination.
Rarely do I give myself the opportunity — or challenge, rather — to sit down and draw concrete conclusions from these mistakes. While this might seem like the obvious thing to do, I find myself too wrapped up in the minutiae of daily life to dedicate enough time for this intentional reflection.
You might ask why, then, am I attempting to give advice to others when I’m the one who needs advice myself? Indeed, maybe I should focus on my own problems before I attempt to help others with theirs. So let me explain.
I can mention only a small moment from around four years ago that might shine some light on the question. Sent reeling into confusion by a lengthy AP Physics exam and in need of some commiseration, I stayed late after class for a postmortem with a friend. They needed help on a question they didn’t understand while I miraculously thought I had found the right answer.
Though armed with only a working understanding of the concepts, I sat with my friend and worked through the problem once again. With my solution under the microscope of their questions, I soon found that my own thinking had become clearer and that I had developed a better understanding of how to approach future problems.
Upon reflecting on this moment, I’m reminded of the classic adage that says that by helping others work through ideas — thereby forcing you to slow down and articulate your reasoning — you yourself can gain a better understanding of whatever it is you’re thinking about.
I hope to do just that through this column. As long as you submit your prompts, I will attempt to provide a little bit of wisdom, however helpful or insightful, so that both you and I can make sense of moments in our lives that give us pause.
Please, reflect on whatever is giving you trouble and solicit some Sage Advice for guidance. I can’t promise you it’ll be reliable, but I promise you it’ll be different from whatever else you find on the Daily’s newsprint pages.
So, to answer why I’m writing this column?
Truthfully, the name was just sitting there.
Sincerely,
Matthew Sage
Submit to Sage Advice here.
