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 Learning As A Child
Wash, Rinse, Repeat!
Marlene Buffa
My niece Taylor, when asked how she enjoyed first day of school, responded with
a sigh, “I went to school, I learned everything and I came home.”
The innocent child, unaware of her wisdom, went about her playful activities
after a hard day at kindergarten. Unbeknownst to her, her declaration offers a
lesson for all of us.
We think we know it all
Totally confident in her education, Taylor reflects many of us as we go through
life thinking we know it all. Proud of our ability to ingest information and
facts, we weigh ourselves using a diet of delicious data by which we balance our
intellectual mass with those around us.
Fabricated finite finishes to our education, either from high school, or college
or university, graduation lulls us into an illusion of intelligence. And while
our learning inside the walls of academia may indeed cease, our higher education
only begins.
Spirit never asks us to recite dates and times of significant events, or even
solve difficult algebraic formulae. Instead, the life force within us calls upon
each of us to search for pivotal points in our lives upon which we draw meaning
and understanding. The equations we face every day, demand diligent examination
of our role in this world and how we move through life in harmony with others.
Confidence
Taylor, resigned in her belief that she learned all there was to learn, seemed
almost bored with the entire school process. Her confidence that merely
attending the first day of school somehow completely outfitted her with
knowledge and information necessary to cope with life, parallels our “grown up”
attitudes, as well.
We also go through the motions in life concluding that’s sufficient; thinking if
we jump through the hoops, pass the tests, or stay the course, magically our
accumulated knowledge will serve as our lifejacket in the white-rapid sea of
life. Armed with “I can do it,” greatly serves us in our approach to resolving
problems and achieving goals, and in general, the firepower of confidence
assists us in hitting the bulls-eye. However, when life calls us to reach beyond
our known field of expertise or experience, our confidence and accumulated
information face the challenges of our resourcefulness.
If our life experiences, education and knowledge prove ineffective, our
confidence suffers. It is then, that we turn to true learning. When we turn to
Spirit and ask for tutoring or mentorship, that very act serves as the first
step in “learning everything.” When we look to Spirit, the answers welcome us
into meaningful lessons and perfect answers.
Perpetual education
Taylor’s schooling began that day, more than a decade ago, and like for the rest
of us, will continue until her passing. Some of us enjoyed the blessing of
dinners at the family table sharing idyllic anecdotes of what one learned that
day. Others of us spent time in solitude or emotional distance from our parents,
unable to share the joys of discovery. Still, in all of us, each day we carry
yesterday’s life-education with us to tomorrow, life provides the textbook in
amazing ways.
We learn as children, we learn as adults, and we learn in our twilight years.
Time remains constant in its ever-democratic dispensing of hours and minutes
unbeknownst to us. Life uses each of the sands of the hourglass to dispense
meaningful, and sometime masked, lessons for our benefit and we choose to
recognize them and learn or ignore them and repeat the lesson. So, when we
finally finish and learn all our lessons, we can take our book of our life and
go home.
Coming Home to Spirit
From day one, we know nothing. We precociously gather facts and figures and give
meaning to our curious collection of information, and empower ourselves with a
feeling of accomplishment. In reality, God/Spirit knows, and sparingly doles out
revelations of insight to each of us as we walk down our life’s path. Life
provides us with ample opportunities to learn the lessons we require and will
mimic the directions on the shampoo bottle; wash, rinse, and repeat! Problem,
solution, lesson. We get to repeat the lesson until we’ve learned it, and only
then, can we apply life’s “conditioner” and move smoothly forward.
The important thing is to always come home to Spirit. When we are truly free,
we’ll realize we actually know nothing and acknowledging knowing nothing is
truly knowing everything. Our existence as a seeker and absorber of knowledge
makes the journey worthwhile.
Marlene Buffa is a freelance writer and Cold Fusion Web Applications developer.
She lives with 2 Dobermans who run her life and allow her to pay the mortgage,
feed and spoil them. Marlene holds degrees in Communications (Journalism) and
Psychology. Visit: www.WordsOfMind.com
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