| Which is better for learning - the textbook, or the | | | | merely for the sake of being more God-like in their |
| workbook of exercises and exams that goes with it? | | | | behavior) - these people know, but they have not |
| Most of us would answer that neither is better - you | | | | truly learned. |
| need both to really learn the subject being taught. | | | | Mother Teresa taught us by example how to tend |
| The textbook gives us the basic instructions, | | | | and love equally the worst refuse of mankind. Martin |
| information and resources, while the workbook lets | | | | Luther King, Jr. gave us instruction on non-violent |
| us test our learning in application. The workbook is no | | | | alternatives to revolution. Jesus, Buddha and |
| good to us without the lesson first, but the lesson, | | | | Mohammad provided stories, sermons, insight and |
| unapplied to real world experience, is just about as | | | | wisdom to help guide us in our days. These people |
| useless. Knowing about something isn't the same as | | | | (and others like them) have been our textbooks - |
| being able to do it. | | | | providing us with the guidance, the information and |
| Life is the same way - none of the spiritual | | | | the knowledge we need to make choices about how |
| information and learning we get in life does us a bit | | | | we live. |
| of good without a chance to practice what we have | | | | But the Hillside Strangler, the guy next door with the |
| learned in real-life settings - both to measure our | | | | foul mouth and the drug habit, drunk driver on prom |
| capacity to learn what has been taught and to judge | | | | night, the 9/11 hijackers - these are our workbooks, |
| our ability to use what we've learned appropriately | | | | giving us the opportunity to put into practice what |
| and well. You need both the teaching and the real | | | | we learned about selflessness, compassion, love, |
| world, hands-on training in order to say you have | | | | kindness, non-violence, respect and forgiveness. They |
| mastered a subject. Those who listen to their | | | | test us in ways that academic speculation and mental |
| preachers every church day, who watch nothing but | | | | rehearsals never can. By our reactions or responses |
| inspirational TV and read their holy books all night, but | | | | to their deeds and after-effects, we get the final |
| who turn up their noses at a chance to show | | | | grade on how well we took these lessons of love to |
| compassion, unconditional love and God's own | | | | heart. |
| prescribed forgiveness on the worst of the worst | | | | How did you score? |
| (without expectation of anything in return, but | | | | |