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Today's
Meditation:
One of the ways that I try to motivate young people to
actually learn what they're studying in school is to use
the analogy of sports. In order to become better at
a sport, one has to go out and practice over and over
again-- it doesn't just happen. Well, the same thing
is true for reading and writing and math and any other
intellectual pursuit-- the only way to get better is to
practice it, to do it over and over again until it becomes
second nature, basically.
We seem to think that just because we know how to read,
we're good readers. I have to design assignment
after assignment that shows my students that just because
they know how to read doesn't mean that they understand
everything they read. Rather, they need to put some
effort into their reading skills-- they need to practice if
they want to get better at it. Until I actually
prove it to them, though, they don't see any need for
working any harder-- after all, they know how to read,
don't they?
"Continual nourishment" are the two words that
Clarence uses, and they're a good way to express what's
necessary if we want to continue to grow spiritually and
intellectually. It really is a shame if we stop
learning and growing, because we're not going to come
anywhere near reaching our potential if we're not trying
to better ourselves. We really should be constantly
working towards fulfilling our potential, even if we know
that we'll never reach our full potential before we die,
simply because when we grow, we become better at helping
others to grow and to learn and improve, also.
Our spirits are who we are, and it doesn't do anyone any
good if we aren't helping our spirits to fulfill their
potential. Let's not be idle, and let's not be
lazy. Let us do our best to improve ourselves
through action all the days of our lives so that we can
become people who help other people to live their lives
fully. Only if we do this can we truly say that
we're living our lives to their potential.
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