Head Learning Vs. Heart Learning

When I was in school, either grade school, high school, college, or grad school, the majority of my learning was head learning. "What do you mean? Don't we learn everything in the mind or head?"

No, all learning is not confined to the head. Head learning, to me, is what I would do when preparing for an exam. I would cram as much knowledge about the subject into my head as I could just before the test and then, as soon as the exam was over, it would be mostly forgotten.

"What else is there, then wise guy?" What else is what I call "heart learning." This is the knowledge that is gained by actually feeling and experiencing something. This knowledge is retained because your entire being is involved.

I could describe the odor of a skunk to you. A skunk lets go with a foul, putrid odor that, once experienced, is never forgotten. There — Do you know what a skunk smells like now? From this description, I wouldn't either.

Have a skunk blast off near you and you will never forget the answer to What does a skunk smell like? It sticks with you, pardon the pun.

Tell someone about the horror of being shot or struck by a vehicle and you may believe it. This is why seeing it on television or in a newspaper does not resonate nearly as much as having it happen to or near you. Even if you do believe it, you do not truly know it.

When you are the victim or close witness, you do much more than believe it. You know it! All of your senses are brought into play at once. When you know it, you feel it.

Head learning may get you a temporary bit of knowledge, but to keep something in your memory, try heart learning. Others may call heart learning gut learning. "I feel it in my gut!" Both are the same. When you feel it, you don't forget it.

Thank you, God!

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