The human race is truly blessed with the unique gift of learning and widening knowledge in a multitude of disciplines. While the plant and animal kingdom learn to adapt and adopt for survival, it is the human species that is bestowed the privilege of a brain that is able to process and imbibe a wide array of subjects not just for survival but also for personal growth and happiness. However, the unfortunate and unintended consequence has been that human beings are focused on academic learning, laying stress on an evaluation method that is not necessarily the best way of assessing knowledge and worse of all focusing on higher learning without any heed to the basic learning that of using the five senses more effectively.
What we need to focus more on, if we need to become better learners is become more aware of the basic five senses that each of us blessed with, from birth. These senses are the first touch points of learning, which is what the primitive man used, long before any formal educational structure was put in place.
Observe not just see – We see so many thing around us but do we pause to observe and examine the finer nuances of the wonders around us. Observe the various species of flora and fauna around us. See how they bloom differently, adapt seamlessly to the environment and attract different types of birds and insects. Take two leaves and observe the subtle differences. On a more personal level, have you observed how people around you respond or react to your presence and mannerisms? You will get valuable insight about yourself by merely observing responses from people you interact with.
Feel don’t merely touch – When we buy clothes from a shop do we not touch the fabric. Are you clear in your mind what you are seeking in the fabric from that touch? When your pet wants you to hug it, does it just want a symbolic hug or does it hope to feel your warmth in the touch? Are you able to convey your feelings through touch? Take a news paper, a glossy magazine, and different types of paper or cloth and feel it with your eyes closed. Take a wad of paper currency of various denominations then close your eyes and feel each note and estimate the value of the currency.
Soak in the aroma don’t just smell – How often do we gobble up our meals at home and at times criticize the food whereas we pay a fancy price at a high end restaurant praising the ambiance, the style of presentation of the food and even spare time to soak in the aroma of the food. Do you not get intrigued by the smell of the first rain on mud? Do we realize how a wonderful aroma can immediately enhance your mood and if the aroma is related to food you even being to salivate.
Enjoy the taste don’t just eat – When we talk about salivating, it is obvious that we are itching to gobble up the food. Perhaps appreciating the aesthetics of the food prepared and served can add even more value to the dining experience. However it is in savoring the food slowly, relishing every morsel and letting the taste buds soaking in the various flavors that makes the meal both wholesome and an exhilarating experience. Try the same with raw mango, tamarind, raw vegetables and you will realize that there is much to be enjoyed in tasting not just eating to satisfy hunger.
Listen don’t just hear – Take a large sea shell and hold the open side close to your ears. You seem to be hearing the roar of the sea. Go to a garden or a beach or a river side and sit silently with the focus only on hearing the various sounds around. Ideally close your eyes and just listen. You will discern sounds that you never realized before. Not just the chirping of the birds but the rustle in the wind, the gurgling sound of flow water in a nearby stream, the waves either gushing or ebbing . Listening helps you connect to the wonders around not to mention it also helps you empathize better with those who communicate with you.
Try these:
- Take currency of various denominations and observe the subtle differences. Pay attention to certain markings on it that will help the blind identify the value of the notes by touch.
- Close your eyes and now try to feel the markings that you may have observed.
- Ask a friend to get you petals of different flowers / leaves of different plants in a closed box. Blind fold yourself and try to hold each petal and identify the flower based on touch and possibly smell.
- Get a friend to cut a small piece of vegetable and give it to you to taste and identify the vegetable. Ideally you should have your eyes closed or be blindfolded when tasting.
- Take a music system play a song and change the various sound settings like bass , treble etc and listen to the difference.
- Take a deck of cards and notice the subtle differences between the different kings, queens and jacks in the deck. Which king has only one eye in the deck?
This post is courtesy www.actspot.com
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