“It is perhaps wise to remember here that, as a general rule, no one believes what others may tell him – no matter how apparent the truth or how much the person may protest that he accepts that truth. Only those truths which are wrought out individually in the crucible of experience really penetrate into the living consciousness and bear fruit.” Djwal Khul
Not all lessons must be experienced with pain, because it is obvious that clever people can learn from the mistakes of others. This arises from the concept that, in truth, we are all “one” on a fundamental soul level, and learning from the mistakes of others is an action that illustrates one’s correct understanding of this principle. Always having to experience something negative for oneself is a sign that one is separate, alone, and more individuated than one truly is. The price of that ignorance is having to suffer through a painful experience. Experience is a means to an end of learning a lesson. Those who make experience the end goal are going down the negative path.
Montalk