This reflection is the first of the two, on the theme of Learning. The science and art of Andragogy focusses on the principles and practice of adult education. Malcom Shepherd (1913-1997) suggested that adult education is fostered by, Self-concept, Past learning experience, Readiness to learn, 'Practical reasons to learn and internal motivation'.
The ‘Socratic dialogue’ which was common in his days was a conversation of enquiry with no fixed starting point or end point like in the alchemic process where an alchemist would keep observing the colour, odour and the consistency of the prima materia that he or she was processing. Such dialogue process was a means to promote adult education in a self-directed way.
David Kolb, who proposed a theory on Experiential Learning (I984), described it in a simple way for understanding the adult education process: 'Do something; Think about it; Doing some research; Talking with others; Doing something new'. This process was considered to be formative and creative in human development.
The Benedictine Monks were practicing this method much before this theory was proposed by Kolb. We get a glimpse of the service of the Benedictine monks from the exhibits at the National Museum of the St Gotthard near Locarno in Switzerland. As there was no road access during winter between the interior parts of Switzerland and Zurich, people had to travel on horse-back on the mountain path over several meters of snow covering the mountain. It was common for people to be lost due to avlanches, snowstorms and inclement weather of heavy snow fall. During the several days of journey, people suffered from severe exhaustion, and hazards of freezing temperature.
It was during such a distressing situation the Benedictine monks moved into action by engaging the St. Bernard dogs to spot people who were stranded to bring them to the monastery for convalescence before they proceeded on their journey. Those convalescent homes became places of respite and recovery for many. The Monks who lived in their monasteries had a daily rhythm of prayer, silence, adoration, work in the kitchen, garden, rescuing people during the day and night and having regular silent retreats to prepare themselves for advancing in this calling. The symbol of them that remains even today in Switzerland is, a monk holding a lantern in the night on the snow clad mountain path, to remind the nation of the history of travellers before the underground road and rail connections were constructed.
The story of the Benedictine monks to me is a vivid illustration of ‘learning for formation’ of their lives to be made rich towards God and benevolent towards people. In one sense formation is also integration of the body, mind, soul and Spirit.
Let me explore the model of Jesus of Nazareth on this theme of Learning for Formation under the following three dimensions:
1. Learning volitionally
2. Learning experientially
3. Learning vicariously
1 Learning Volitionally
Most adults plan to advance in the work-related domains by acquiring skills and capacity. It is this pursuit which makes them more able and add fulfilment at work. I wonder if many of us pursue with similar interest in leaning about ourselves and our calling!
Let me refer to three instances in the life of Jesus, when He chose volitionally for His learning for formation.
The first at 12 years of age. Jesus went with His parents and others to Jerusalem for the annual Passover festival (Luk.2:41-47). After the Passover, Jesus stayed back in the temple while His parents ‘thinking him to be with others in the caravan’ returned home. After a day’s journey, not finding Jesus, His parents went back to Jerusalem searching for Him. After three days they ‘found him in the temple sitting in the midst of teachers, listening to them and asking questions’(v46). His mother asked Him, ‘Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold your Father and I were anxiously looking for you’ (v48). Jesus replied: ’Why is that you were looking for me! Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house’?(v49). His parents did not understand this statement.
Jesus at the age of 12 years was aware of His calling in His life, which He expressed publicly by choosing to be with the learned in the temple for His advanced learning in the law and the prophets. Jesus chose to do so on His own, in line with the formative process that was already initiated in Him since His birth. Jesus having heard of the events associated with His birth was contemplative enough to behold the mystery of God in His life and align Himself volitionally to stay on course of this formative journey.
It was one occasion when His parents had become even more aware of the purpose of the life of Jesus beyond being a son to them. It gave Jesus an opportunity to make His calling public and make His parents aware of the choice He was making to live faithful to God’s revelation in His life. Although Jesus returned to Nazareth, His life since then took a new dimension of ‘increasing in wisdom and stature in favour with God and men’(v52). Jesus chose to be with the learned and the learners in His response to the calling in His life.
The second instance.Jesus approached John the Baptist for receiving the ‘baptism of water’(Mat3:13-17). John prevented Jesus from receiving the baptism by saying,‘I have need to be baptised by you, do you come to me?. Jesus responded, ‘Permit it at this time, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness’(v 15). Jesus, being the One for whom John the Baptist was preparing the way, subjected Himself to the spiritual preparation that He too needed to minister publicly. It was not at the cross alone Jesus humbled himself and ‘emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men…and becoming obedient to the point death..’ (Phil.2; 5-8), but also during the rest of His life, starting from receiving the baptism from John the Baptist. Jesus journeyed this path of learning for His formation because that was what was set before Him in God’s plan.
The third instance. Jesus yielded to be led by the Spirit into three temptations, while He was fasting for forty days and nights in the wilderness (Mat4:1-11). To be subject to such a stressful experience at a vulnerable time, when Jesus was in an intense spiritual exercise to discern the way ahead of Him for His public ministry, was obedience at its best. It was an experience of intense testing to meet His existential needs by turning stone into bread, demonstrating an act of miracle by jumping from a tower and usurping land and power to Himself by worshipping Satan. At a most vulnerable time in His life, Jesus volitionally subjected Himself to be tested to overcome the human existential urges once and for all. It was when Jesus overcame the temptations, He was truly made ready to walk the way to announce the good news of the Kingdom of God.
One example of a person, who volitionally chose to embark on an experience which contributed to his formation, leading to a significant outcome comes to my mind. Dr Benjamin Pulimood, a former Principal and Director of Christian Medical College, Vellore felt the need to find out more about the opportunities which the mission Hospitals offered in health care training. He took a year of sabbatical from CMC and spent the year visiting mission hospitals. Usually, most faculty use the sabbatical time for professional updating and net-working.
At the end of the year Dr Pulimood recognised that some mission hospitals can be used for post-graduate training, provided those hospitals would have support from a teaching hospital to equip themselves in planning, organising and conducting a training programme. Dr Pulimood created a cadre of faculty at CMC, who were specially designated to be the point persons for the mission hospitals and be available to spend short or long periods to upgrade the facility in the mission hospitals towards developing a training programme. This initiative brought encouragement to some mission hospitals to use the faculty members from CMC to augment their clinical services and training infrastructure.
At least 12 mission hospitals over the next few years were ready to conduct post graduate training programme of the National Board of Examinations. Some of the mission hospitals are about to complete 25 years of their involvement in training the postgraduates. All because one person in his learning journey sensed an opportunity to give a new identity to the mission hospitals in the academic domain.
Learning volitionally, is often a way to make significant changes personally and organisationally.
2.Learning Experientially
The public ministry of Jesus began with Him choosing His disciples. ‘Jesus went up to the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to cast out demons’ (Luk3:13-15).
Jesus created an atmosphere of building relationships. Even for Him, being in relationship with a group of people, was necessary to foresee His mission unfolding. To be received as a saviour, Jesus needed an experience of being in close proximity with at least some, who would know of His authentic mission. He needed an opportunity to reveal the process of relating to those, who are heterogenous in temperament, attitude, behaviour and outlook to life and living. His mission of turning the fishermen to be ‘fishers of men’, (Mat 4:19) could happen only if Jesus could have the presence of some of His followers with Him to bring that transformational experience in their lives. Jesus of Nazareth was seeking for a relational climate around Him.
Let me bring another illustration of learning experientially from the lives of Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1: 1-22). Naomi and her husband Elimelech moved from Bethlehem to the land of Moab during a season of famine. Their children Mahlon and Chilon accompanied them. Elimelech died, following which Mahlon and Chilon took their wives, Orpah and Ruth. They lived together for ten years. Mahlon and Chilon died, following which, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem on hearing that the famine was over in her homeland. Naomi began her journey with Orpah and Ruth, but on the way she turned to her daughters-in-laws, ‘Go return each of you to her mother’s house. Naomi kissed them to say farewell.(V8-9) Both of them refused to leave her. On further insistence, Orpah went to her mother’s house. But Ruth clung to her mother-in-law. Let me quote Ruth’s words to Naomi: ’Do not urge to me to leave you or turn back from following you, for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, Your God my God’ (16). This is a moving confession of an affirming and endearing relationship.
There are some insightful qualities, we come across in this story of an unusual relationship. Ruth trusted Naomi to be her anchor in life. Naomi reciprocated with equal affection at this instance and later. The traditional barriers were turned into bridges of reciprocal trust. Both women turned the difficult experience into an opportunity to explore together if they could redeem their lives from a permanent disappointment. Naomi’s life blossomed because of Ruth. Ruth found a future for herself by getting married to Boaz and got included in the genealogy of Jesus. What arose out of an affirming relationship was well beyond the normal!
It is for this reason, most of us would have a lot to learn from the happy and unhappy experiences of our several relationships.
Another aspect of relationship is hospitality. Two enquirers, who were followers of John the Baptist came to Jesus asking, ‘Where are you staying’ (John.1;35). Jesus replied, ‘Come and see’. They came and saw and stayed with Jesus that day. One of them was Andrew. He went and called his brother to follow Jesus. It was through the experience of a touching hospitality they received from Jesus, Andrew, Simon and a third person became the followers of Jesus.
It is when we can approach others respectfully, cordially, and caringly, we can turn that into an opportunity for mutual affirmation and growth. When we relate to others, we invite them into our hearts and home. That is generosity and kindness. This is in contrast to some friendships becoming utilitarian and therefore demanding and tiring. We need to pass through this journey in reciprocal relationships, to experience how we can upbuild each other offering value and regard for each other.
However, there are some cautions that we need to keep in mind while building relationships. Let me refer to three of them.
First, the Master trap. Some view relationships as a way to control others. I watched seven children playing together the other day. They were throwing the ball to each other in a circle. Every time a child dropped the ball, one of the girls got upset and advised them on how to hold a ball, receive it and throw. She took over by telling other children what to do and how to do that another child after a while stopped playing and turned to the girl who was trying to control and said: ’In a ball game we can drop the ball and throw it again’. There was silence for a while and the game continued without the refrain of comments and correction thereafter. The efforts to control starts subtly and takes over to freeze a vulnerable person to be a passive follower.
Second, the Messiah trap. Some can feel that they sacrifice to help people. Therefore they need praise and acknowledgement. Let me quote from, Emeritus professor Shelden Casdan who referred to this behaviour as ‘orchestrated so that others are constantly aware that the person is giving up something or putting the recipient’s interest before his own. There is concerted attempt to induce others to be grateful for the things one does and sacrifices one makes’. (quoted from the book, How to solve people’s problems, by Dr Alan Godwin, p158). It is necessary to be aware of such a trap in relationships, where the other person forces you to be grateful and remain indebted.
Third the Martyr trap. Some portray themselves as great and constant sufferers. I remember an instance at a dinner table. The host served us banana after supper. One gentleman turned to the bowl and looked at it and picked up one banana, which looked little overripe. He went on to say. ‘I usually look for a damaged banana for myself so that others do not get it’. I felt frozen by this comment. When we exemplify an act to draw attention to ourselves and portray publicly what we do to help others, it might be to establish superiority over others! It is against the grain of doing good without the right hand knowing what the left hand is doing.
How are we to build relationships which is for upbuilding each other. Every time I stretch the ankle joint of a child who has spasticity, I do so to help a child to stand better or walk better by placing the heel on the ground first instead of the forefoot. It is one illustration of how stretching to reach out to others can be facilitatory to help another person live more leisurely or restfully. And yet, in our efforts to build relationships, we would encounter welcome, resistance, refusal or animosity, all of which help us to be made more ready to be tolerant and steadfast in our mission. The diverse experiences give us an enlargement of our optic towards others. If we receive abundance of goodness towards us normally, we are entitled to receive harsh or hostile responses or attitudes, which I hope would get subsumed in the pleasant experiences we encounter.
Jesus ignored the habit of Judas pilfering money from the common purse (John.13.29). Jesus indicated at the Last supper that Judas would betray Him. When Judas came to betray Jesus and hand Him over to the Jews (Mat 26:50), Jesus approached Judas by calling him,‘ Friend’.
Our friendships are learning resources. Jesus endured all that Judas was plotting, while being in the proximity of Jesus. The instinct for goodness is born through our enduring spirit.
3.Learning vicariously
To be vicarious would mean to suffer or accept inconvenience to bring some good to others.
The triune philosophy of life in post modern culture is, Me, Mine and myself. This is amplified in the way the American president Mr Donald Trump has accused Mr Joe Biden of fraudulent practices because of which he became the president elect. None of the accusations of Mr Trump could be justified in the court of law. This exalted view of self and its infallibility is justified by those who voted for Mr Trump.
We can disseminate untruth and make people parrot it. On the 11 th of December, the Indian Medical Association has called upon doctors for absence from work for 12 hours to protest against the government's decision to permit Ayurvedic doctors to perform surgery. Who would suffer by this trade union action! The patients. Doctors who have taken an oath to take care of patients as their utmost duty seem to ignore that resolve when they are inconvenienced. Are there not better ways of representing their concerns before the authorities! To allow others suffer in order to exert pressure on the government is a least acceptable model of seeking justice. This self- pursuit is a culture of convenience.
We are under obligation to create a counter-culture of self-giving. That is what we see in the action of Jesus, when He washed the feet of disciples. All the disciples were seated at the table and none seemed ready to wash the feet, which was a ritual associated with the Passover feast.
Jesus after supper, (John 13:5-20) washed the feet of disciples and said, ‘Do you know what I have done for you! You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right. If then, the Lord and Teacher washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. I gave you an example that you should do as I did to you’. Jesus was already in full consciousness of what was awaiting Him at Golgotha. And yet Jesus gave Himself to the disciples in an act of service. It was not so easy for Him to do so as He had to wash the feet of Peter who was to deny Him and Judas who was already plotting to betray Him.
It was the same self-giving spirit we found in Jesus while hanging in the cross. He prayed, ‘Father forgive them for they do not know what they do’ (Luk.23:24). It was a prayer of freeing others from their guilt. Jesus was suffering on behalf of others to bring God’s reconciliation in our lives.
I like the hymn by, Henry Van Dyke, ‘Joyful, joyful we adore Thee..’. The following two stanzas are my favourites:
‘Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou are Father, Christ our brother,
All who live in love are Thine
Teach us to love each other
Lift us to the joy divine.
Mortals, join the happy chorus
Which the morning stars began
Love Divine is reigning over us
Binding with all its span.
Ever singing, march we forward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us onward,
In the triumph song of life’.
I feel that we learn at two levels. At a primary level of learning to live as adults and at an advanced level, living as adults relationally.
I remember how a neighbour knowing that a family was going through an extreme situation of distress due to the illness of both parents took the responsibility of taking care of their two children for three months. That was a time when our neighbour was out of his job and had constraints due to financial stress. What he told me at the end of this experience was, ‘We discovered through taking care of the two children that they brought cheer and joy to our lives at a most needy time in our lives’. We grow and experience new depth when we go beyond ourselves and feel with others who need support.
I referred to three aspects of Learning For Formation-Learning Volitionally, Learning Experientially and Learning Vicariously.
Most of us need surprising experiences to discover the treasures in our lives. We are people on a learning journey, which is enriching our lives.
I got a glimpse of this while being with a friend on an evening walk in a garden. I happened to kick off a driftwood that was on my path. My friend noticed it and picked it up and put it in nis pocket. He did not say much about it although I asked him about its use for him. Six months later, when we met up again, he showed me a wooden spoon. He had carved that spoon from the driftwood which he picked up from the garden. I saw it as a driftwood but he saw in it a spoon. His learning journey gave him an insight to see beyond what was just external. His inwardness and meditative approach gave him an optic beyond the ordinary.
This is the potential we carry in our lives. To so grow in learning that we find reality of hope even in adversity!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo from our garden)
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