by John Sleeper
Helping others is the best way to proceed along your life path to learn the lessons necessary to gain perfection.
Teaching is the best way to help others and yourself. If you want to get better at doing something then teach the skill to someone else. By teaching you must be able to explain the principles involved in detail so that someone who knows nothing about the subject will understand and be able to use the skill to their advantage.
For example:
Your child asks for help doing some school work, let’s say history. Instead of giving the child the answers and having them write them down as you dictate, you can feign ignorance and ask the child, how do you suppose we should go about finding the answer to the question. Lead them first to the encyclopedia. (Note: The Internet is a vast source of information but not always very accurate. Teach them to use the printed, most accepted authorities on the subject until they can discern for themselves good information from bad.) Tell them what to do but not exactly how to do it. This will create a question in their mind starting with the word “HOW”. It is easier then to give clues about finding information in general such as look in the article and see if anything points to where to find more information instead of pointing to the spot on the page that says, for more on this subject see volume 12, page 86.
This not only helps them to learn new skills but at the same time sharpens your own. This also delineates the line between HELPING and GIVING. It is just like the adage says: “Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you have helped him feed himself for the rest of his life.”
What you teach along your path that helps yourself and others is an individual choice. In my own case I am willing to give whatever I have to help someone else. Don’t get me wrong, if the neighbor’s car stops running I will not give him mine. I would try to teach him how to fix his as best I know how or how to find a reputable repairman to go to. You can never help someone by joining them in their misery (e.g. giving them your car would put you in their position of restricted travel.) Taking on someone’s problem is never the way to go. The best way to look at this is through this parable.
You come across someone who is stuck in a deep pit and cannot get out and they are asking for help. They are begging you to jump down into the pit and give them a boost up so they can get out.
You see that this would only transfer their problem to you so you offer to lower a rope to give them a way out.
They complain that this solution isn’t good enough and they beg and plead and cry for you to come down and help them. They refuse to take what is offered and insist on what they want instead.
The proper response here is, when you decide that you want to be out of the pit more than you want to have your own way then let me know and I will lower you the rope.
Helping by teaching to instill better life skills is always preferable to giving to impart a little temporary relief. Patience is a necessary skill you must cultivate for this.
John — The Healer. For more information visit www.mbsenergies.com