Becoming The Teacher And The Student

I think the average person at some point in their life has made the effort to learn as much as possible about at least one thing. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to do so. Something that consists of the mastery of it bringing you a sense of fulfillment because you are so passionate about it. Something that you'd have no problem teaching to a room full of people, even if you never do. It can be the journey to hone a skill or the study of a practice or topic. As long as you possess a genuine drive to know all that you can know about it and yet still remember that you don't.

As people who love to teach about topics and talents that we've mastered, it is easy to forget the vast importance that lies within still allowing ourselves to be taught. I myself am always so passionate to teach, knowing that it's closely connected to my purpose, that I sometimes find myself too eager. Too eager to believe that I already know the majority of what is being discussed, therefore I fail to pay attention to what you are showing or telling me. When the truth is, sometimes I do not know more.

I don't think that I am the only one with this problem. Many of us are full of knowledge that causes us to jump at the opportunities that allow us to express and bestow it upon others. However, it is important to remember that everyone we come in contact with, holds just as much knowledge on something that we may not. That something could be anything! If we appreciate and respect the perspective, voice, and talent of every person we talk to, we create the opportunity to learn something new every day. It allows us to expand on predetermined ideas and make new and more elaborate connections.

Believing that we know everything about something can rob us of the chance to learn even more about it and cause us to look more egotistical than anything. It implies that we think we are the only person intelligent enough to retain large amounts of information and skill from something that we love; if this were the case, why try and share at all? This "know it all" outlook damages both the speaker and the listeners' idea of what teaching really is. Teaching is not meant to be forced upon the student but instead just a series of suggestive ideas backed by study and experience. The student can then process the information and eliminate from or expand upon it in a way that's best for their own retainment and sometimes present it back to the teacher from a new angle. Thus allowing the teacher the opportunity to deepen their own teachings.

But if we always assume that we know more than anyone else, none of this gets to happen and the potential of where a billion conversations and connections could go is immediately reduced because only one person hogs the spotlight; when we both deserve to be seen and heard. Remembering that the same things that drive you to want to share and speak up about things you're passionate about are the same things that drive others is a great way to remember to stop, listen and pay attention. It's understood that we might know a lot about what's being presented but does this mean that we can't know more? Or come to new realizations? Failure to realize that there is always more to be learned will cause you to remain stagnant.

I feel like we've all been here before; reminding ourselves that people have just as much to offer us, as we do them. So let's all do our best to create a flowing balance between the embodiment of the roles of the teacher and the student. This ensures that just as much as we teach, we learn and give another person the chance to be the teacher. Think about how invigorating it makes you feel to be both seen and heard. Whether it's your music, your writing, your art, or your voice. Remember how amazing it feels to be given the time of day and grant others this same pleasure whenever you get the chance by taking the time to listen to them. Before we know it, many of the faces and voices that are hushed, ignored, or afraid to be seen and heard, will start to transform into some of our world's best teachers, singers, poets, activists, artists, and so on and so forth.