Flash 4: Perceiving to learn.

Welcome back to another week! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. 

I recall my fondness for Math during my primary school days. One of its appeals was the challenge it presented and consequently the sense of accomplishment that came with finding short cuts to problem solving. I would dedicated myself to finding short cuts to simplify the arduous task of following through lengthy methods to get to solutions. My primary concern was to get to the correct answer promptly. My guiding principle as it regarded Math was that the end justified the means.

Upon entering high school my love for Math was replaced by my newfound love for literature. My focus shifted from finding short cuts for Math lessons although once in a while I would find some short cuts that I would use during exams. However, this was effectively discouraged by my teacher who would award me award me a mark solely for correct answers but penalize me more marks for deviating from the method that he had taught us.

While this served to dampen my enthusiasm for short cuts, it never satisfied my understanding. In my immaturity, I struggled to understand the necessity of taking such long routes to arrive at the same destination that could be arrived at more efficiently through a shorter route. 

Years after graduating from high school I stumble upon a video featuring the esteemed British novelist Doris May Lessing. In the video she discussed various topics, but one of her remarks on her journey into sufism under the guidance of Sufi Idries Shah resonated with me. Doris remarked that there were always lessons going on even when formal lessons were absent, hence the need to hone one’s abilities to discern these implicit teachings. With this came the realization that valuable lessons are constantly unfolding around us, even in the most mundane aspects of daily life.

Our capacity to discern and internalize these lessons significantly influences the quality of our lives. Reflecting on this insight brought to mind the Math anecdote. I came to understand that beyond the Math itself, there were invaluable lessons to be gleaned that were as important or perhaps more than the subject. Lessons like the importance of adhering to correct processes. We live a life where most of us are constantly seeking for short cuts as a means to our personal ends, disregarding the intrinsic value of the process. In fact, our internal mantra is that if we can overlook the process on the whole, the better. Those high school Math teachers were trying to teach me that there’s more merit in the process than in the end point that I was always impatient to get to. Lessons on the importance of patience. Sadly, I missed those lessons (because I could not perceive them) and had to learn them later through harsher experiences.

Studies in communication indicates between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning come from non-verbal cues, hence the need to cultivate an awareness that transcends spoken language. By training ourselves to quieten our hearts and minds, we enhance our receptivity to subtle cues and lessons that may otherwise elude us amidst distractions. Recently, I had the privilege of learning from a favorite preacher. This time I was listening with both a hearing ear and seeing eye. I was pleasantly surprised by the things that I was able to learn beyond the things he spoke which obviously edified me. Revelations that were always present and I could have grasped earlier had I cultivated a deeper sense of perception. I came out at the end of the teaching pondering on the many invaluable lessons I had obviously missed thus far simply because I could not perceive things beyond that which was said. 

What are your experiences and thoughts as regards today's post? 

Shilako Abutaka.