Is Experience Always The Best Teacher/

  I am sure if  your like me,you have head the expression, experience is the best teacher. I believe in most cases that is true. I would submit to you  however,  experience doesn't always have to be the best teacher. Here is what I mean. When I have the chance to talk to some of today's youth, I strongly,  encourage them not to abuse drugs and alcohol. Almost with out fail,  I get this response, how would you know what it's like to get drunk or high on drugs you've never experienced it. I suppose on some level that is true. In fact, I find there are a great deal of things I have't experienced. I haven;t enjoyed the thrill, of sticking my hand in a meat grinder, but somehow, I just don't think I want to do that. I haven't had the pleasure of skydiving out of a plane without a parachute, but somehow I don't think I ought to do that. I haven't had the great rush you can get from bungee jumping without the bungee cord and yet somehow, I really don't think that's a great idea. I've never experienced suicide, I am told however,  that it is a one time experience.
  I realize,  these examples, are far fetched to most mature adults. In the minds of some of today's youth however, many of them seemed determined, to prove they can get wasted on drugs and alcohol repeatedly,  and continue to live to tell about.it. I am sure by now they have heard the news of singer Amy Winehouse and how she was found dead at her London flat. Given her life style of drugs and alcohol it's a pretty safe bet that they more than contributed to her death. Yet every young person says this, That's not going to happen to me I don't over do it,  I can control the amount of drugs or drinking I do. What they don't realize is, almost anyone who ever started drinking or doing drugs all thought the same thing. Teens, speak of wanting to be an individual yet they have to go along with their peers. Remember when we said to our parents everybody else is doing it? Remember their response?" I suppose if all your friends were jumping off a bridge you'd want to do it too! Hopefully, teens and young adults will eventually, live long enough to mature, and realize the foolishness of and the inexperience of their  youth I fear however, that unless a teacher, pastor, a parent or some other person of influence steps in to correct the flawed thinking of  much of today's youth tragedies like the ones  we read in the paper, and hundreds we may not know about will continue to happen Yes, there are many things I have not experienced in my life. I haven't experienced the tragic loss of a child to something needless, like drug or alcohol abuse. Frankly, that's something I pray I or anyone ever has to experience. As always, my friends, these thoughts remain, just some words to think on.