Saturday, December 16, 2006

biting off more than you can chew

On learning:
...learning is of two kinds, one kind being the things we learned and knew, and the other being the training that taught us how to find out what we did not know...

-- "The Richest Man In Babylon"

I particularly was struck by this excerpt, quite timely now that I'm busy with choir stuff (thanks, p). I realized that I was relying on the first type of learning all the time and ignoring the second one, dismissing it as personal liabilities. I found myself cramming vocal parts, spiels and choreography -- things which eventually fall into place (at least most of the time -- other times I just cheat hehehe); but cowering in skills that I was not exactly adept in (like staying in tempo for percussion, which I attributed to my weak yet flabby arms that need toning --but that's a different issue that I'd rather not think about!).

They say that wisdom is knowing that you don't know everything. To admit ignorance is not to concede defeat; on the contrary, it is meant to liberate one's mind and to open one's eyes to the vastness of knowledge that lies ahead, waiting to be discovered. It is both humbling and empowering; it shows us how to value the teachers among us yet it also prepares each one of us to teach ourselves. In rehearsing and performing for the numerous activities this season, I pray that my mistakes not cause embarrassment but a renewed willingness to learn. In these moments may we remember the greatness of the One who was brought into this world in a lowly manger.





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