Our Heritage of Trial and Error--and Truth

We must learn from the mistakes of others, because we’ll never live long enough to make them all ourselves.”

Part of our heritage is the experience of others. Part of our heritage is the progress and errors of the past. Part of our heritage is the counsel of parents, and the commandments God has given.

Part of our heritage permits us to begin where others have left off: The comforts and conveniences we have, medicine and mechanics, science and sanitation, are all part of the heritage we have.

And in these tangible and material things we don’t insist on going back to the beginning. We don’t live in crude shelters or strike fires from flint. In these material things we accept what others have learned, what others have made, and from there we gratefully begin. And why should we not, also, in matters of morals and ethics, and in cleanliness of conduct and personal purity? Why should we needlessly pay a personal price for what has already been proved?

Basically, there aren’t any new evils. Basically, we are still dealing with the same causes and consequences. Basically the same kind of sins still lead to the same kind of sorrows. In tools and techniques, in material things, we begin where others have brought us; we use what others have taught us. If young people would only remember that the advice and counsel of sincere parents⎯and of the past⎯is a valuable heritage, already proved and paid for, they could save themselves many mistakes.

We must learn from others. We don’t live long enough to make all the mistakes that other men have made. In the first place, each of us can only make one fatal mistake of the many we might make. We have to live in part on the experience of the past. We have to live in part on the word of witnesses. We have to live in part on the faith of our fathers⎯for we don’t live long enough, here and now, to prove all things by going back to the beginning.

And so again we suggest to the young that they use what has been proved in the past. That is what earnest parents are endeavoring to offer. That is what the Lord God Himself is offering in His counsel and commandments: the rules of peace and progress and improvement, and of happiness here and hereafter⎯the great heritage from the trial and error⎯and truth⎯of all ages. And the wise will profit by the heritage they have.