There is no substitute for true life experiences

          In my book, Humanity at Work: Encouraging Spirit, Achievement & Truth to Flourish in the Workplace (Chapel Hill Press 2008), I draw a distinction between “book knowledge”, the definition of which we all understand, and what I term “authentic knowledge”. I define authentic knowledge as learnings and truths gleaned from our life experience. Here is a snippet of what I wrote,
 
 
“While schooling and book knowledge provide some direction, we grow fully when imbued with authentic knowledge gained through a broad range of experiences, those filled with joy and those that riddle us with pain, sometimes beyond all explanation…  The personal growth we can gain is my only clue to the mystery of why a kind and caring Lord allows our lives to cycle through such a contrary array of experiences.” 
Authentic knowledge is the foundation on which we build wisdom- worldly insights. Even if you have a particularly unpleasant experience-the type where we feel like we’re practicing bleeding,  take comfort in knowing that you are stockpiling authentic knowledge, which is only offered up to those who participant fully in life!