A little help here?

Did you see this? Researchers have determined that two-year-old chimpanzees and two-year-old humans are essentially intellectual equals. So, why are we humans building computers and traveling in space while chimps are foraging for food and swinging from trees?

Because chimps are wiser? Maybe. But, the researchers attributed it to one area where the children were slightly more capable than the chimps. The children were better at patterning the behavior of others.

Give them each a lidded clear plastic jar with cookies inside and they’ll handle it similarly. They’ll hold it, turn it, bite it, and bang it on the floor, to no avail, of course. Then, if someone sits down with them, unscrews the top, takes a cookie, eats it, then puts the lid back on, their reactions are quite different. The child (once it stops whining, “MY cookie!”) is soon trying to unscrew the lid, and usually eventually succeeds. The chimp still holds it, turns it, bites it, and bangs it on the floor.

So, we humans have a greater capability than our closest relatives (we’re talking species here) to learn from others.

But, we don’t use this capability nearly as much as we could. Examples?

In its broadest sense, we don’t learn what we should from history. If we did, we wouldn’t keep repeating it (even after we’ve studied it).

On an individual level, it’s worse. We often don’t even pay attention. When we do, we don’t really listen. And, when we do listen, we are usually quick to discount the information coming to us.

One example I’ve experienced – raising those supposedly readily taught children. The single greatest disappointment in my stint as a parent has been (and still is) my inability to shelter my kids from most of the typical mistakes, pains and anguish of growing up. Part of this was the teacher, I’m sure. But, most of it, I really think, is because they, like all of us, weren’t very good at taking guidance.

A close second in the disappointment category is my own learning. I wish I had listened more to my parents, my bosses and coworkers, my spouse, my kids, and my many other well-meaning would-be teachers. As I gradually became aware of this deficiency over the years, I have tried to be better at seeing, hearing, feeling and understanding the many forms of learning coming my way. I still avoid or miss or ignore a lot, I’m sure, but I’m trying.

In that vein, I’ll be entering retirement one of these days. This may well be as difficult in some ways as growing up, maybe worse as it evolves into growing old. So, I have a request, especially of all of you who are already retired.

What are some of the common mistakes we soon-to-be-retired should try to avoid? What are some lessons you’ve learned – things you wish you had been told earlier? Or, things you did know, and are glad you did?

We’ll send a little gift to everyone who responds, and a medium gift to the best of the bunch. Just click “Comment” below. If you don’t want your name posted with your comment, or you don’t want even your comment posted, just say so. I’ll be out the next couple of weeks, but will look them over when I return and will let you know what I learned.