“How can knowledge and action be separated? This is the original substance of knowledge and action, which have not been separated by selfish desires. In teaching people, the Sage insisted that only this can be called knowledge. Otherwise, this is not yet knowledge. This is serious and practical business… I have said that knowledge is the direction for action and action the effort of knowledge, and that knowledge is the beginning of action and action the completion of knowledge. If this is understood, then when only knowledge is mentioned, action is included, and when only action is mentioned, knowledge is included… But people today distinguish between knowledge and action and pursue them separately, believing that one must know before he can act. They will discuss and learn the business of knowledge first, they say, and wait till they truly know before they put their knowledge into practice. Consequently, to the last day of life, they will never act and also will never know. This doctrine of knowledge first and action later is not a minor disease and it did not come about only yesterday. My present advocacy of the unity of knowledge and action is precisely the medicine for that disease.”

Wang Yang Ming (1472-1529) Instructions for Practical Living, I.8a

When talking about the education, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it mathematical or physics formulas, learning and then “replaying” the Pythagoras theorem on the examination, remembering half of periodic table of elements and then demonstrating it back?

There are a few important questions that will be discussed through this article, and the above example is there to demonstrate the expectations of an average parent who  likes when their child gets good marks at school and disappointed /enraged when same child gets unsatisfactory results. But before punishing him or her, have you ever asked – what is it that you want for them to become, without concentrating on today’ results? Do you want them to follow in your footsteps and become someone who, from past experiences you are about to inflict, is going to punish their own children for failing their expectations as well?

“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”

Tom Bodett

The purpose of today’ education, and many people before me have already pointed in out again and again, is to produce a socially acceptable person who has been conditioned to produce no original thought of his or her own, but who has in possession a large number of “keys” or solutions for one situation or another, that they can use to open a “door”, i.e. solve a problem at hand. They get to learn what single cell organisms are made of, what are their parts and what are its functions. They also learn how to solve differential, quadratic or higher order functions, but without any idea why they are learning all of this. The basic “why” is there – because my parents told me to study, because my teacher believes it is important for me to learn this, or because they would achieve first grade award on school’ mathematics competition – however there is no “why” answer that explains why they need it in everyday life.

One thing that may answer this question is an article about conditioning which was written earlier on this blog. Parents believe that since they went to school without asking why, so should their children because otherwise their friends and family would claim them “out of whack” with reality – after all, if so many parents have their children go to school it can’t be a bad thing!

But think about for a moment and answer this – would you rather have your child be able to learn whatever he or she needs extremely quickly, or become a walking dictionary that can recite passages from school books but without any real application in their life? This approach has shown its fallacy through increasing unemployment rates when people spend time to learn skills only to find them redundant and having to start all over again! To survive in this world your children need to understand the concepts of creating  income, of providing value and exchanging it for tangible or intangible currency. And by this I don’t mean that they need to learn how to do finances or learn an accounting degree, not at all! They need to get an understanding of how world works, what makes it tick and how to achieve things relying on yourself and others who apply these concepts in day to day life. Only after understanding what it is unique about them, they will be able to exchange this uniqueness and compensated in full.

“The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.”

Albert Einstein

Education these days takes majority of your child’ time without giving them a chance to discover what they actually need, hindering their view of what is more important, letting them miss way many opportunities that would’ve been of more value than knowing how to do statistical equations or examining a dead frog. If you believe that your child’ future lies in finishing the school, university and then getting a job, think again. Do you want to ruin their life just as yours has been ruined by your parents? Or do you truly believe that it is the best choice that society has provided for them? If it is so then you haven’t thought about it yourself and this article won’t help because you will shrug it off from your shell of ego that is covered in society’ expectation and values.

But hear this – beneath that shell there is a core of genius that is present in everyone – and you, by coming to this blog, received a tiny crack in the shell that will let you to slowly peel off layers upon layers of all that which is not you.

Give your children a chance to discover their own purpose in life, let them consciously define purpose and be a master of their own decisions without someone telling what, how and when to do this or that. Be an inspiration instead of supervisor, be a man or a woman in a true sense of a word, practising the values but not imposing them, let them flourish and be observed by others around you, feeling how your true self helps your children discover theirs.

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

Chinese proverb

“In the world where weak-mindedness is as acceptable as greasy fast food, tap water that is full of chemicals and endless advertisements about women’ tampons.” Yuri Moroz “Business, aid for weak minded”

Are you here to complain about rising fuel prices, tax or that your employer does not recognize you for all the effort you have put through? Are you here to whine that you did not accomplish the goals because of this or that? Are you here to bewail or lament that your companion does not listen to your ideas or suggestions or that restaurant served well cooked instead of rare pink stake?

Stop.

Stop and listen to others venting their concerns and complaints. Listen to them and feel how connected or disconnected you are to their problems, issues and concerns. Listen well and notice what emotions are created as a result, what words you utter back and how your opinion about this person changes.

And fail to see the reflection of yourself in them, for you have been blindfolded or plain ignorant to the fact that complains NEVER solved anything – just as it did not solve anything for you.

Ever. Why?

Because people do not care about other’ problems unless they share them – simply because they have a bag of their own. They will show affection, emotional closeness of sharing those concerns but they will not do anything to resolve them. After all, what do you do when you voice your complaints? That’s right – you shake the air and create a sound that goes through one ear and out the other.

“People who complain trap themselves in a reality that constantly gives them more to complain about.  Life keeps harshing on them.  Their luck is below average.  They never get any real breaks.  Unfortunate circumstances, seemingly beyond their control, keep manifesting. Complaining is also addictive.  The more you do it, even within your own mind, the more it becomes an ingrained habit and the harder it is to stop.” - Steve Pavlina

“The way to do is to be.”

Confucius

Action is the only way to get it straight. Act on the fact that something is not right and, instead of endlessly shaking the air about it through friendly chitchat or online conversation. Do not let it slide by thinking that things will take care of themselves for they will not, no matter how much you wish for it. Wishful thinking is a dangerous concept unless you have achieved certain level of mastery in getting things done, because no matter how much you imagine there will be no action taken, direct or indirect. Without a habit of achieving things with unshakable determination and associated experience your wishes will remain just that – wishes without a drive.

But before action comes the idea, a direction that is your guide to your life that you have consciously defined.  It’s a doctrine, a path that you choose as a purpose in your life, something that will give meaning and sense to everything you do or don’t do. You will stumble upon the “why” question through acting, a question of higher purpose for yourself, and there are plenty of resources around that describe how you can find your life’ purpose. Most of them, however, will describe how authors found their true purpose in life without any concrete information or guide on how to find yours, however, with enough persistence and determination you will find something of value. Steve Pavlina, Tony Robbins and many others created enormous amounts of material about this topic, the only thing that is required from you is …

Action and a will to change.

Why are you here?

You go through everyday life without a sense of direction, without a “why” that helps to see where you are going with your life. There is an arrow stuck to your head that says “go there and do that” that you obey blindly. It was always there, and you don’t know who stuck it there or why you are following it without questioning. Your life is guided by things, people or events that you cannot imagine yourself without.

It is in everyone you see, hiding behind the flair of meaningless conversations about weather, politics, “ifs” and “buts”. It strives on lack of responsibility and courage in your life, consuming what’s left of you in a poisonous and rotting swamp that is called “everyday life”.

It is in the air around you, it surrounds and penetrates you no matter where you go, do or look. Sometimes you get a glimpse of what appears to be a breakthrough, but really it is just more of the same.

And the worst part is that you put yourself there. Not your family, friends or circumstances  – you.

You cannot escape it without realizing what you are trying to escape, without noticing and paying attention to what manifests it and spreads around like flu.

And you will be shocked. You will be stressed. And you will fail.

Fail to understand that there is so much you can do about it without cracking the hard shell around yourself that you thought was protective, while in fact it was rust. Rust that kept piling up as a result of corrosion by society and the environment you lived in. A corrosion of your true self that started long ago when someone made decisions for you instead of letting you decide on your own.

It is not their fault either.

It is a thing of the past, and nothing can change it.

You change yourself. Here and now. Forever.

Are you ready?