The Sicilian proverb, U Murtu nsigna a chianciri (The dead person teaches you to cry), means that there is only one master in life. It is life itself. There is no better teacher than life! Just as the death of a loved one makes a person who has never cried cry, so the various life situations teach how to behave.
The proverb does not rule out the teachings you can get in schools and universities. However, if you do not live your life fully, all your learning will become a dead letter.
Even Gautama Siddhartha realized that living life would be much more instructive than the teachings he received in his royal palace. By living life, he stumbled upon suffering. He felt compassion for those who suffered, and in the end he became Buddha.
Suffering, fear, adversities are not always negative, for they fortify the one who comes across them. Some people learn the life’s teachings immediately, others later or even at old age. You never stop learning. Better later than never!
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)
– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)
– The Vibrations of Words (English version)
– Travels of the Mind (English version)
– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)
– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)
Ettore Grillo's Blog 