On Learning

Sitting this morning with Angela I was made to wonder how many around me have stopped learning. Angela is my would-be violin teacher but I am not so sure that I will be her student. Today we had something of an interview and she did not do very well. They say you can tell if you will hire someone right off - without a word. So it was with Angela.

I will hire someone to teach me. But I will work after our session is done and they will do the things I would do if I were not learning. They will read Whitman and take walks and nap in the afternoon. They will do this because they have learned and, better still, learned to teach.

Some have stopped learning and they think it better. The work is not as appealing as the knowing. For example, I want to play the violin. So, I must weigh the work of learning to play against the fruit of being able to play.

It is the same with any subject you choose. Should the work ever become too much for the joy, it is always abandoned; to continue is one definition of madness.

Praise God that Jesus came and taught simple men the eternal truths of existence. Perhaps more importantly, I thank God those individuals were not finished learning.

When did it become okay to quit learning?