teachers – Aspirational Adventures

Renly relaxing on Boxing Day after a big hike. Photographed by myself December 2024

Ok yes I know dogs get trained to sit, stay, wait, and random things like roll over, etc but I don’t think dogs see everything that goes on in their world as a lesson but too often I hear it from people.

I read an interesting article and when I commented on it the author of the article said he’d been waiting to share as he couldn’t work out what the lesson was. My reply to his reply was “did there have to be a lesson?”

I think too often we humans think every thing that goes on is meant to teach us something and I’m sure some things are, but really is everything?

In 2012-2013 we went through a series of untimely deaths and other random changes in our lives. Was that a lesson? If so I’m not sure what it. Or was it just “things happen and sometimes they happen at the same time”?

The more I’ve seen and done and prayed and pondered the more I think that even though not everything is a lesson per se – because God isn’t some great big teacher wanting us to pass tests all the time – I do think that I have learned things from them and have changed as a person.

It might sound like splitting hairs but I think there is a big difference between learning things and things being a lesson. I think that we can choose to learn things but if something is a lesson there is a specific “thing” to be gained from that.

Also I think if we are open to learning things then yes “every day is a school day” but also it doesn’t mean that we are waiting for a specific something to happen to learn something.

It also means that we have no fear of what the “teacher” is going to say or if we miss the point being made. There is no worrying about what that lesson was.

I home schooled my children up till they were fifteen and people used to often ask what “lessons” we did and how we worked in school holidays. Well because every moment of every day was a chance to learn something all of us, myself included, were always open to what was going on around us, always curious, always expecting something to show up. Not every moment was a lesson that came with outcomes and things that I could tell the home schooling inspector but, on the whole, we learned and changed and grew and explored things on a regular basis.

So I don’t think God is up there with a lesson plan for us but I do think they want us to be open and aware of what is going on around us. They want us to become more who we are called to be, to know and love ourselves, those around us and of course them more and more.

So not everything is a lesson but everything is an opportunity to be open to learning and growing.

Strikes Take Planning

https://www.nationalworld.com/news/uk/strike-uk-winter-updating-list-dates-royal-mail-rmt-nhs-3926988

I didn’t realise how much work goes into organising strike action. A friend of mine is a teacher and she, along with her colleagues, has spent a lot of time working out how to make this strike both noticeable but also so that the pupils don’t suffer too much. It turns out this is what happens with all those who are striking, they all work hard to make sure there is maximum notice with minimum harm to those they chose to serve. And the problem is that the media is not reporting this. They are only reporting the disruptions and those who are complaining.

But unfortunately most people only find out about things from the snippet of news they read or hear. Then they moan about what is going on. And this means that once again the government has won.

I support the strikes that are going on in Britain totally. I think systems in this country are falling apart. And if one listens properly to those striking it is not just about a decent wage but about better conditions for not just the workers but those they serve.

Interestingly back in January 2020 I wrote a piece, along with many others about gaining 2020 vision. I believe this is part of this. These things that are being highlighted have been issues for way too long. Covid got in the way and sidelined things a bit, but a lot of the problems were there long beforehand. Lockdowns have just exasperated things.

I really believe we are getting what we prayed for, but we need to sit down, listen quietly to God and not just restart or even refresh things, but tear them down and start again. There needs to be leaders in place who are willing to do that and I believe that the leaders we have, again are what the public wanted, but they are not strong enough to “rip it up and start again”.

So for me I am going to take a breath. I am going to prayer for open heavens. I am going to ask God to raise up brave leaders who are willing to go against the media, against the status quo and be willing to really make a vision for the future that works for all. Not just tag something on to what is already here.

I am going to try to spend time asking God what the vision they see for our world is and then I am going try to pray and dream a brave new world [not of the Huxley type] into being. If we could all connect to something that benefits all then that would be totally amazing.