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Learn By Teaching by Patti Petrella
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
What's come to perfection perishes.
Things learned on earth we shall practice in heaven;
Teaching is often most effective by example, and learning is sometimes best achieved by
teaching. If we really want to learn something,ask yourself how one might teach it.
Teaching something gives us the chance to explore our own beliefs, because often we go
through life without examining our own convictions and principles.
An unexamined life is not worth living....Know thyself.
Socretes
How well do you know yourself? What do you stand for?
Are you suspicious and critical of other people, or are you
loving and tolerant?
These are ideas worth exploring, because without a starting place of where we are, we might
not be able to see clearly to make changes, when needed. Looking at our attitudes toward
others, reveals much about ourselves.
Teaching can be healing process. To me, it seems impossible to separate healing and
teaching with love. As we teach and heal with our heart, we are more likely to teach love and
kindness in all that we do.
I adopted a puppy who was just hours from being put to sleep. She was not considered
adoptable, because she had already been abused and was despondent. I was determined
that she would never again feel pain from a human being, emotionally or physically.
She was raised fully enveloped in love. Training her was very delicate. I would talk softly and
explain why she should do this or not do that when training her. She always seemed to
understand. I would, and still do, tell her many times a day how much we love her and how
we are thankful for her.
She came out of her shell, to say the least, and is the happiest sweetest dog I know.
What was learned or taught here? Yes she learned to love and trust from being loved, but I
was taught the most, by teaching and loving her. By teaching love, my love expanded. The
more you teach with love, the more you receive love.
Do you remember a lesson that you learned, by being kind to another?
What have you taught others through your love?
I am here only to be truly helpful.
I am here to represent him who sent me.
I do not have to worry about what to say or what
to do, because He Who sent me will direct me.
I am content to be wherever He wishes, knowing
He goes there with me
I will be healed as I let him teach me to heal.
A Course in miracles-Chapter 6:18
Teaching can take many forms, if we surrender to the idea of letting God work through us.
Instead of forcing opinions on others, we can surrender to God as an instrument of love. We
get so invested in our ego, tied with our beliefs that we can't see that there is another way in
which th divine can work through us. We are often so busy with our own agenda that we are
not receptive to another spiritual path.
When we accept the fact, that giving and receiving are the
same, we may also realize that the teacher and the student are the same.
What is teaching?
When you share your love, peace and joy in all that you do, that is teaching, as well as
learning.
If we go through the day fearful, angry and judgmental, then again, that is what we are
teaching and reinforcing in our spirit.
The Universe teaches us constantly. It always works in our behalf, even when we do not to
accept it or recognize its value. It is how we react to a situation, that is of significance in our
well-being.
Oh, but one might say, "Why do the same bad things keep
happening to me?" "how is that in my behalf?'
The universe is kind enough to keep giving you opportunities to get it right, to learn an
important lesson. As soon as you discover the solution, then that difficult situation may
cease to exist, and you can go on to the next problem, (I mean, challenge) .
We seem doomed to repeat lessons that we don't learn.
We may choose not alter our perspective now, but eventually, we might see why the same
unhappiness occurred over and over. How much easier would it have been to get it right the
first, second or tenth time.
Our most unlikely teachers are the people with which we seem to have the greatest difficulty,
because, they are the ones that may show us our shortcomings personified in them. How
many times do we have problems with the same sort of person? What does this tell us about
ourself?
The past is a powerful teacher. It's senseless to fret over our past and our mistakes. It's what
we needed to get where we are, or where we need to be. Sometimes, we learn through the
light, and sometimes we learn through the shadow, but it is all a part of learning and growing.
If you ask someone from AA if he regrets his past with alcohol abuse, he will usually say, that
it was his greatest teacher. It is only, if we refuse learn, that mistakes cause remorse.
Can you think of situations that seemed terrible at the time, but turned out to be the best
thing in the long run?
A favorite Quote on learning;
Believe nothing merely because it has been
told to you. Not even if your teacher tells it. But
only that which, after due examination and
analysis, you find to be for the good, the welfare,
and the benefit of all mankind. Take that as
your doctrine and hold it to yourself
--Siddhartha Gautama Buddah
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