As a
family we have had a habit of subscribing to recycling initiatives
over many years. The first was paper and cardboard, but when other
materials were asked for, we added that to our list. It has been very
convenient to have containers placed within reach in the hub of our
home (dining room adjoining kitchen!) in which to place articles. At
one time there were kerbside collections, but now we have to take our
recyleables to points of collection – which is fine. It has
certainly caused our household waste to be significantly diminished
in volume!
However
there is another kind of recycling that I have been reflecting on. In
'sorting out' the house, now that all our sons are married and making
their own homes, and coming to the time of life when we will soon be
moving to a smaller abode in a retirement complex, there is the
inevitable need to go through what is in all the cupboards, sort
through what belongs to who, and make plans to either deliver it to
them or pass it on to others who need and will make good use of the
various articles.
One
of the tasks was old school and university notes stashed in the top
of cupboards - emptying files and putting the paper in waste bags.
The paper will be recycled, and the files, plastic sleeves and file
dividers will be 'recycled' to an under-resourced school or
children's home.
As I was preparing this material for recycling, I
began to think about all the 'knowledge' and mechanisms that were on
the paper, that had been given through teaching to empower my sons
to learn how to think, analyse, make connections, be creative, be
comfortable about thinking 'outside the box', have an urge to explore
mentally and in other ways, to develop memory and practical skills.
This lead me to ponder on how we 'recycle' what we have learnt in the
years of our lives – how we have interpreted what has come to us in
the way of studies, practice, experience, circumstances,
relationships (with teachers/ lecturers, tutors, fellow students,
role models). To what extent do we make use of all that we have been
taught and learnt?
I
was challenged to reflect on whether my many and various
interpretations had lead to a relatable insight into life in
general, that could be used to encourage, guide, empower, and provide
a 'spring-board' to launch others into their own unique journeys
through the experiences of their lives.
In a
nutshell: Has our 'learning' been stuffed onto the top shelves of our
lives, out of sight and gathering dust? Do we keep it in a rigid
framework, immovably fixed by our perceptions at the time of
receiving it?
Do we hang on to it as a source of pride or wield it as
power over others?
Or do we 'recycle' it, by reapplying it creatively
into different contexts, share it and reinterpret it in varying
situations, circumstances, and relationships in the present?
Do we
make it available, in a usable manner, to others who need it, who
could make good use of it, and who would benefit from it in their own
journey through life?
Just
wondering....
