“Education is an act of love, it’s giving life.” – Pope Francis
The 7th Pillar reminds us of two things: first, God has instilled in us a desire for knowledge, therefore, always keep an open mind and never stop learning. Read great books! Listen to great audio!
We get old when we stop learning.
Secondly, we are reminded that we are always learning, whether we are aware of it or not. What are you choosing to learn about the world each moment?
Nature vs Nurture
The Unity Principle states that we are made of body and soul. Our soul is our connection with God, and our body is our way through which we experience the world. Consider the nature versus nurture philosophy. Maybe our soul is a part of our nature, while our body allows for our nurturing to occur. To explore this, here are a few working definitions:
- Nature = the gifts God blessed me with in the beginning and the continuing grace he (hopefully) blesses me with daily; also the potential expression of traits I have stored in my DNA; that is, my genetics.
- Nurture = my experience in life that may influence the expression of my gifts and other potential traits. I often ask people to consider this quote, “your genetics load the gun, your lifestyle pulls the trigger.” My lifestyle is the way I nurture, or do not nurture, myself. My children’s lifestyle is in part dictated by how my wife Tara and I choose to nurture them.
I believe my nature is a miracle. It is an awesome and amazing blessing from God. It can explain so much of who I am and who I continually become. Equally, or possibly more important though, is how I have been and am nurtured now, and how I choose to nurture myself every day.
Nurture equals Education.
The 7th Pillar of Catholic Fitness is Education. We are always learning, whether we are aware of it or not. We always have an opportunity to learn, rather consume, more.
“You are what you eat” is among the best nutrition advice. The same can be said for “you are what you consume” when it comes to how we shape our thoughts, our emotions, our identity, our relationships and ultimately our lives as Christians.
Every day, we consume some form of education from books, TV shows and commercials, YouTube videos, music, social media and conversation with family, friends and colleagues. Think about this: these things are all teaching us how to talk, act, love, think about and treat ourselves and others.
St. Thomas Aquinas was a really smart priest and Theologian in the 13th century; he is considered the patron saint of teachers, students and schools (all things education) by many. He said,
“wonder is the desire for knowledge … the things that we love tell us what we are.”
God planted inside of us a wonder about the world and therefore a desire to constantly learn. The 7th Pillar asks us to consider these three things:
- what are you learning (consuming) each day?
- do you truly love these things or not?
- how much do these things influence who you are as a person, a friend, an athlete, a son, daughter, brother, sister, leader or mentor?
If you are a parent, please remember that you are your child’s primary educator. Just as nutritional supplements should supplement a mostly healthy diet, formal schooling should only supplement what your children are learning at home. Just as important, what your children learn from you comes 80% (or more) from how you act, and 20% (or less) from what you actually say. The way we as parents act around our children, whether directly towards them or towards complete strangers, may dictate their happiness as adults, their success in relationships and their beliefs and values about money, their self esteem, serving others, religion, politics and the world at large.
We are ALWAYS consuming … please choose wisely and prayerfully, you never know how many lives you may be influencing and shaping, including your own.
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