Reflections on Learning

On a recent trip, I noticed how often one object reflects another.  It may be water reflecting buildings; glass-paned buildings reflecting the clouds or people drifting by; or people’s eyes reflecting what is being seen.

The reflected images may be clear or distorted — depending on a breeze rippling the water’s surface, rain-spotted surfaces of the glass, or tears that pool in the eyes of someone who understands.

What stories are reflected in your life?
(Plaza America, Seville, Spain)

What is true about most reflected images is that they are the reverse of the original.  No matter how clear the reflection, what is seen is the opposite of its real counterpart.

I wonder if that is true of what we experience in life?  Maybe we are seeing only a fraction of Reality.

Are past stories waiting to be discovered?
(La Alhambra, Granada, Spain)

Just think about language: how each nationality and culture has different words that labels or describes itself.  For instance, the word “Spain” is the English equivalent of the Spanish word “España.”  Many words are derived or mutated over time to describe the world of our ancestors.

The Greeks referred to the peninsula as Hesperia, meaning "land of the setting sun."  The Carthaginians called the country Ispania and the Romans referred to it as Hispania, both meaning "land of the rabbits."  Does our English word capture any of these original meanings?

Our current world may have lost earlier meanings or understandings.  Instead, we tend to focus on what we have learned and now know.  Even though these previous derivations may have been lost, they can be rediscovered when we become curious to learn more.

Where can you ground your curiosity?
(Floor of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain)

Rediscovering lost stories or meanings may be as simple as slowing down and becoming child-like.  Asking questions like:  Why?  How?  Why not?  What do you think?

Opening our minds to other people’s reflections allows us to grasp a different aspect of reality... even if we hear the reverse of what we may hold as true.  Dialogue opens us to other Ways of Being, Learning, and Knowing.

May your reflections this week create a spirit of curiosity and discovery!

 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

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