Always Something to Learn
I am still learning.
– Michelangelo
There is always something to learn. No matter the age, the ability, the level of skill, the success or life realization, we learn and should seek to learn until we die. It would be arrogant to think that there is nothing to learn, or worse, to think we know everything. Even when it seems that we know something or that we don’t need what is taught, even when we are practicing what they are talking about, I believe we can learn something new each day. The day we stop learning, we stop living. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know everything. In fact, I know much less than what I should know at my age. Hopefully, I’ll live long enough to catch up.
Learning doesn’t have to be focused on a specific topic. It is not about being in school forever. Learning doesn’t have to be strictly about ‘serious’ subjects. It could be something trivial and ‘useless’. Seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge is a lot of fun. We might never use information we have stored in the brain, but we can become the heroes in the next trivia challenge. My grandfather always said that we don’t need to know everything, but a little of everything enough to sustain a conversation with anyone. Knowledge is not about us, is about others. It is about connecting with people. In order to relate to others it is good to know about them. That is a motivation for learning something new every day.
Passion for Teaching
“I can tell you love teaching.” … I’ve heard that a few times. I do. Teaching is for me a way to give back. If I keep what I know to myself it will die with me. If I share what I know it will live longer in the lives of those who learned. Not only so, what I know will expand beyond me instead of being encapsulated within me. When I teach I can feel this fire burning inside of me. I’m so passionate about it. I don’t pretend to know it all. In fact, I don’t know much, but what I know I share. I also pay attention. I like to learn as much as I like to teach.
“Knowledge not only resides in the head or in the collective mind of a social group, but also exists in discourse and communication among individuals and their relationships.”
Learning and teaching is conscious, intentional, willful, and a balance between old and new knowledge. Learning is also a vicarious experience. Sometimes people don’t know they are learning something until it clicks. This kind of interaction rarely happens in isolation but socially. When people are having fun with others is sometimes when they learn the most. I enjoy when people is satisfied with the results of their time spent. Their testimonials are not to fill my heart or head with pride and arrogance. These are a reminder of the great responsibility placed in my hands. I keep myself in check and seek to humble myself. After all, teaching makes you the servant, not the master.
Share this: