Learning
Experiences we learn from - interpretations: what do you make of this? - conclusions - thoughts, attitudes, expectations, behavior.
Why learning is VERY important. Learning opens life up and unlocks its treasures—if we make the effort to learn. Musicians can share wonderful music because they invested the time and energy to learn their instrument. You can make delicious food for others if you learn to cook well. Similarly, wonders of heart and soul will open up to you if you take the time to learn about people, life, relationships, the human heart, your own heart.
We’re always learning, but are the lessons we “learn” true or helpful? Not always. Many people “learn” that they’re worthless, life is hopeless, relationships don’t work. Such lessons are less than useless. It takes responsibility and self-honesty to learn well and rightly.
We’re responsible for the lessons we learn. We learn from experience, but where does our experience come from? We create it — or co-create it. It’s our harvest (as in, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap”). For example, our attitudes and expectations bring out the best or worst in people. A man who mistreats women creates ill will in them, and “learns” women are mean. Then, he approaches women as if they are mean, creating more bad experiences. Meanwhile, a loving man treats women well and receives kindness in return. So he learns how good women are. Clearly, we’re creating experience loops: positive loops teach us positive lessons, negative loops teach negative ones.
We learn by interpretation. There are many ways to interpret anything. We decide what our experiences mean, what they prove. From there we draw conclusions about the way life “is,” we “are,” people “are,” etc. “Women are mean.” “Women are kind.” Our interpretations affect what we “learn,” how we feel about life, what we do next. And they create our destiny.
We learn from others (and their experiences). Life can be confusing; we need guidance to help us find the best way through. To learn fast and well in any area, our best bet is a guide who knows, understands, and is successful in that area themselves. Too many would- be helpers offer ideas and suggestions that will only make our situation worse. Friends, counselors, even spiritual advisors (like ministers and gurus) often have little understanding about how to create fulfillment in life and love. Only a person who plays guitar well can teach guitar. Only a person who has really good relationships can effectively help us with ours. Only a fulfilled person can help us be fulfilled.
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