When I was in college I took a class on teaching and I actually
learned something.
The textbook for the class defined learning as “the
stretching of one’s small, narrow experience to include
the whole experience of man.” I was twenty years
old and “small, narrow experience” pretty
much summed up who I was. The whole world, past and future,
stretched out in all directions for me to explore, which was
very exciting.
The book talked about ways to develop breadth, how teachers
could avoid becoming stagnant and boring. Halfway through
my student teaching I discovered that being a teacher was
not the job for me. (I discovered this at the exact moment
one of my students got his hand stuck in a guitar… but
that is another story.) But I did take away this little list
of seven things, which I’ve carried in my wallet for
years.
1. Wide reading outside one’s special area,
2. Cultivation of associates and friends outside one’s
special area,
3. Varied recreational and cultural participation,
4. Travel,
5. A cultivation of broad interests,
6. A persistent relationship with the world of nature,
7. Activity that lifts one out of self and narrow self-concern,
e.g. service or worship.
I hope this list of seven things encourages you to stretch
a little, read a new book, make a new friend, listen to music
or see a play, learn a new skill, go for a walk somewhere
there are trees, and do something nice for someone.
