I was having an involved conversation about differing philosophies with a friend, and there were some thought-provoking things said on the topic of whether life is really only the blind leading the blind.
He asked something like what was the point of some things if we are all just students in a classroom reading from the same textbook. I must be naive and inexperienced because I have yet to have that question posed to me. Well, until now.
I didn't really know what to say for a moment because I was taken aback by such deep inquiry. That said, I now most certainly have an opinion on it. I would say I have a very passionate belief that we are not all merely students. I know we are constantly learning, from the day we draw our first breath to the last and into eternity, but we are also so very much more. People have imaginations that are beyond price and from all that wonder we are allowed unique and wonderful experiences. That is not anything a textbook can replicate; therefore, life is beyond our imaginations.
We can be student and teacher at the same time, if we strive to learn from our experiences. Additionally, we can be a teacher by sharing the things we learn from our lives.
Further on in our conversation, he asked:
But if there are but two students in the classroom, how much experience is there to share, really?
I must say that all our experience should be shared! Each individual person has a perspective on things separate from anyone else. We might have much in common, to the point of complete unity, but our perception of everything is individual. We are not animals without means to create things other than what is already here. We are not robots all programmed to think and interact the same way. So when we share our innermost perceptions and feelings, we are teaching. Oftentimes, in heated debates, opposing parties are not persuaded whatsoever, but they are taught how much conviction they have for their own side, at the very least. Teaching and learning happens in every conversation and expression. What we take away from our interactions with one another can vary greatly, but those seeking light and learning will always grow from them.
I know that I have been the student of great abuses against me and because I choose to talk about them, I am able teach others how to help themselves. I have helped countless friends and acquaintances in my short lifetime to know where to turn because I share my experiences.
I am taught by others. I have learned how I want to be; how I do not want to be; that I don't like swearing, but do so when angry (at times); I want to draw and paint and sing; I don't want to be around people who are drinking; and on and on... I have learned much from others and their experiences.
Every time we interact with people who uplift and bless us, we are taught by a teacher and we are changed for the better. Because we have a divine nature, we can be students and teachers of one another all along our path into the eternities.
He asked something like what was the point of some things if we are all just students in a classroom reading from the same textbook. I must be naive and inexperienced because I have yet to have that question posed to me. Well, until now.
I didn't really know what to say for a moment because I was taken aback by such deep inquiry. That said, I now most certainly have an opinion on it. I would say I have a very passionate belief that we are not all merely students. I know we are constantly learning, from the day we draw our first breath to the last and into eternity, but we are also so very much more. People have imaginations that are beyond price and from all that wonder we are allowed unique and wonderful experiences. That is not anything a textbook can replicate; therefore, life is beyond our imaginations.
We can be student and teacher at the same time, if we strive to learn from our experiences. Additionally, we can be a teacher by sharing the things we learn from our lives.
Further on in our conversation, he asked:
But if there are but two students in the classroom, how much experience is there to share, really?
I must say that all our experience should be shared! Each individual person has a perspective on things separate from anyone else. We might have much in common, to the point of complete unity, but our perception of everything is individual. We are not animals without means to create things other than what is already here. We are not robots all programmed to think and interact the same way. So when we share our innermost perceptions and feelings, we are teaching. Oftentimes, in heated debates, opposing parties are not persuaded whatsoever, but they are taught how much conviction they have for their own side, at the very least. Teaching and learning happens in every conversation and expression. What we take away from our interactions with one another can vary greatly, but those seeking light and learning will always grow from them.
I know that I have been the student of great abuses against me and because I choose to talk about them, I am able teach others how to help themselves. I have helped countless friends and acquaintances in my short lifetime to know where to turn because I share my experiences.
I am taught by others. I have learned how I want to be; how I do not want to be; that I don't like swearing, but do so when angry (at times); I want to draw and paint and sing; I don't want to be around people who are drinking; and on and on... I have learned much from others and their experiences.
Every time we interact with people who uplift and bless us, we are taught by a teacher and we are changed for the better. Because we have a divine nature, we can be students and teachers of one another all along our path into the eternities.
Lots to think on - I agree that every individual is just too different for us all to be reading from the same text book. Just by speaking to different people you have access to unlimited disparate views of the world, and we can learn something from all of them. One thing I learned in my late teens is that every single person, however stupid or repulsive or ignorant they might seem, is worth speaking to for their opinion of the world and the things they can tell you.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, this can be dangerous as well. As much as it might seem impossible, there are powerful people out there striving for everyone to think in the exact same way. And really, this is where any number of negative ideologies, prejudices, and general ignorance stems from.
I don't have a definitive point... those are my ramblings on the matter!
You bring up very good points indeed. It is very important to not be like cattle and take in everything we are told like spoon-fed infants. That is why we have been given the power to think and choose for ourselves.
DeleteI appreciate you gracing my space with your presence. Please join the conversation more often.