If any of you are like me, sometimes we just feel like sitting in front of the tube and trying to find the most unmeaningful and uneducational show there is, in order to give our minds a break from the daily grind. Today I was doing just this, and kind of enjoying it, just letting my mind and my thoughts wander in a happy zone. Enjoying it, that is, until out of nowhere, without any clue or warning, one of the writers of the show decided to sneak in a quote. Here it is: “Sometimes in life, we write what we want to read; we teach what we want to learn.”

Now wait a minute. Where did that come from? I was not prepared to have to deal with this. I want my money back. This is supposed to be relaxing. Too late. The cogs of my brain had started their motion. The lights had all turned to green. All systems operational. We had ignition, Houston. I hate you!

Could it be so? Is part of writing and putting our thoughts on a piece of paper in some sort of way trying to convince ourselves of the validity of our beliefs? If it is, does this imply that we think nobody else has, can, or will do it better than we can? Or does it imply that we think we have to be reminded, as well as the readers, of statements, values, ideas, that somehow have been put aside and forgotten?

Teaching…how can we teach without being condescending, pontifical, lecturers, believing that somehow we, by some magical investiture, have been made guardians of the universal truth? And is the object of our teaching, first and foremost, aimed at our own need to grow? Is it necessary for a mentor to first master the subject he or she is talking about, or is it okay to assume that the teacher, as well as the pupil, will both grow through the exchange? Since I’m at it, I’ll hit you with another one that was put in my head decades ago. “In human exchange and discussions, one never knows who is the teacher and who is the learner.”

So there. After all, it is not fair that I would be the only one with a headache. So much for brainless activities. Readers beware. Thinking is everywhere, and learning never stops. Ouch!!!

Representative Michel Consejo
Sheldon/Swanton