Learn
How to Learn
If you do nothing else with your life,
learn how to learn.
You have been taught how not to
learn. You have been taught how to
compile data, but you have not learned how to learn.
There are three descending levels of
Knowledge:
Wisdom
Understanding
General Knowledge or Know-How
The level of general knowledge is the
level of know-how and technical knowledge.
It can be as simple as knowing how to tie one's shoes or as complicated
as rocket science, but it is no more than the compiling, collating and
disseminating of data.
The second level is higher. Here one understands the meaning of the data
that one has compiled, understands the moment of it, appreciates the value of
it, considers it with awe and knows how to apply it for the good.
Wisdom is the ability to see into the Soul
of matter. There is not much to say about this level of Knowledge because it is
the substrate from which all mathematics and linguistics proceed, therefore it
does not avail itself of description. It
is That which is caught, not taught.
I have said that the levels of Knowledge
above are in descending order. They also
encompass and contain one another. When
one has Wisdom, one has Understanding and knows the basis of General
Knowledge. It does not work in
reverse. One may be a rocket scientist,
a physicist, a physician, but not understand the data at all and be a wholly
unwise person.
Most scientists are stuck on the lowest
level of General Knowledge. Do not be
fooled by their claims to being committed to verification by empirical proofs
and their loyalty to "science". No matter how high-falutin' this sounds, it exists on the lowest rung of
cognition. They understand very little and are not wise people.
Learn from those who have dedicated their
lives to acquiring Wisdom, not hoarding data.
When you meet a person like this, if there
is Wisdom within you, you will know them.
You will resonate with them. They
will reach you on the deepest levels of your being. They will not attempt to
teach you by browbeating or by insults or by appeals to authority. They will be
gentle in touching your mind and your Spirit.
They will not trample on your Humanity and your dignity. They will teach
by example, and not demand that you believe them and accept everything they
say. They will be so subtle in teaching that you may not even realize that it
is their intention to guide you. You
will simply be riveted by how they relate to other beings and how they comport
themselves.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan,
Doreen [email protected]