Learning & Teaching

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life - Proverbs 13:14.

....

Have you heard of this saying, "expression deepens impression?". Well, I try to live by this principle - I find that sharing what I know somehow deepens my understanding and conviction on a particular topic. The process of articulating what is in my head somehow transformed the "head knowledge" into "heart knowledge". Try it - sharing does deepen your conviction!

photo: New Orleans (Jan 08)

In one way or another, we are all teachers. Almost every day of our lives we come into contact with people who can benefit from our knowledge and experience. According to Hal Urban, "we have a sacred obligation to help others learn new skills and to develop a greater understanding of how life works."

..

At the same time, we are all learners. We regularly come into contact with people who know something we don't know, have a skill we don't have, and understand some aspect of life better than we do.

.

Hence, we're all teachers, and we're all learners. And we bring out the best in one another when we share our knowledge and wisdom. There's a double-blessing here ... There are excitement and joy in learning something new or going deeper. And there are equal excitement and joy in passing them on to others.

...

Despite returning to the busy life in Singapore, here are two reasons why I decided to maintain this blog: (1) the excitement of learning something new, and (2) the joy of passing it on. For me, this blog serves as a scrap book of truths, wise sayings, and ideas, which are primarily for my own consumption and which I seek to internalize by practicing them. And in the process of sharing, I hope others will be blessed too.

...

reflection: First, I "learn" to "teach". Then, I "teach" to "learn".

.

Source: Hal Urban (2007) The 10 Commandments of Common Sense