Lds Continue in the Great Process of Learning

From the Life of Gordon B. Hinckley

From the manual:

President Hinckley's fellow servants in Church leadership marveled at his gift for accumulating knowledge and applying it in his work. Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observed: "I have never met an individual who can become so well informed through reading and through contact with people. When he spends an evening at dinner with someone, he leaves knowing something about that individual's expertise." Elder Neal A. Maxwell, also of the Quorum of the Twelve, said: "What makes President Hinckley unique is that he remembers what he has read and distills that which he wishes to retain. His is an integrated intellect. He can draw upon what he knows to make prudent decisions."

How can we make accumulating knowledge and applying it in our work a lifelong habit?

1. The Lord wants us to educate ourselves so we can progress individually and contribute to society.

From the manual:

The Lord wants you to educate your minds and hands, whatever your chosen field. Whether it be repairing refrigerators, or the work of a skilled surgeon, you must train yourselves. Seek for the best schooling available. Become a workman of integrity in the world that lies ahead of you. … You will bring honor to the Church and you will be generously blessed because of that training.

How can learning and training bless us and also bring honour to the Church?

Many years ago the US government placed agents throughout the country to help farmers learn to be more productive. One agent in the South went to visit an old farmer in his area, but he found that convincing the farmer to change proved rather difficult.

He asked the farmer, "Wouldn't you like to know how to get your cows to give more milk?"

"Nope," the farmer replied.

"Well, wouldn't you like your pigs to have larger litters of baby pigs?"

Again the farmer answered, "Nope."

"Well, wouldn't you like to learn how to get more corn per acre?"

The same answer was given as before: "Nope."

Exasperated, the county agent asked, "Well, why not?"

The farmer replied simply, "I already knows more than I does."

2. With planning and self-discipline, parents can create an atmosphere of learning in their homes.

From the manual:

Begin early in exposing children to books. The mother who fails to read to her small children does a disservice to them and a disservice to herself. It takes time, yes, much of it. It takes self-discipline. It takes organizing and budgeting the minutes and hours of the day. But it will never be a bore as you watch young minds come to know characters, expressions, and ideas. Good reading can become a love affair, far more fruitful in long term effects than many other activities in which children use their time.

1. Read to your child starting at an early age.  Many people have fond memories of their parents reading them bedtime stories, and reading to your child will help foster a love of words and reading.

2. Fill your child's room with books.  Kids who grow up with books all around them learn to think of books as friends and allies in their pursuit of adventure and learning.

3. Be a good reading "role model" for your children. Let them see you reading, and how much you enjoy reading books and magazines.

4. As your children grow, introduce them to books that match their interests and hobbies. Show them how a good book can expand their knowledge in a particular area, and expand their horizons as well.

5. Encourage your child to find new books on their own to read. While showing your child books is a good way to build their interest level, a child who finds new books on their own can benefit from an increased sense of independence.

6. Get your child a library card. Show them how a library can be a place of wonder and excitement, and can open up whole new worlds of learning to last a lifetime. And then put the library in your schedule, so you will be sure to visit frequently together.

7. Offer to reward your children if they read. For example, if your child reads 30 minutes every day for a week, offer to give them their favourite treat.

3. Education unlocks the door of opportunity for youth and young adults.

From the manual:

It is so important that you young men and you young women get all of the education that you can. … Education is the key which will unlock the door of opportunity for you. It is worth sacrificing for. It is worth working at, and if you educate your mind and your hands, you will be able to make a great contribution to the society of which you are a part, and you will be able to reflect honorably on the Church of which you are a member. My dear young brothers and sisters, take advantage of every educational opportunity that you can possibly afford, and you fathers and mothers, encourage your sons and daughters to gain an education which will bless their lives.

How does education "unlock the door of opportunity" for youth and young adults?

'You are moving into the most competitive age the world has ever known. All around you is competition. You need all the education you can get. Sacrifice a car; sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. That world will in large measure pay you what it thinks you are worth, and your worth will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field.'  (Gordon B Hinckley, "A Prophet's Counsel and Prayer for Youth,"New Era, Jan. 2001, 8)

4. The schooling of the spirit is as important, if not more so, than the schooling of the mind.

Watch: Elder and Sister Bednar – Secular and Spiritual Learning Elder and Sister Bednar talk about developing the desire to learn.(7:20)

From the manual:

Each day we are made increasingly aware of the fact that life is more than science and mathematics, more than history and literature. There is need for another education, without which the substance of secular learning may lead only to destruction. I refer to the education of the heart, of the conscience, of the character, of the spirit—these indefinable aspects of our personalities which determine so certainly what we are and what we do in our relationships one with another.

How can we educate the heart, character, and spirit?

"Spiritual learning takes precedence. The secular without the foundation of the spiritual is … like the foam upon the milk, the fleeting shadow. … One need not choose between the two … for there is opportunity to get both simultaneously" (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, p. 390).

5. No matter how old we grow, we can acquire knowledge, gather wisdom, and keep on growing.

Watch: The Glory of God is Intelligence Seeking learning is a lifelong pursuit and one that increases our ability to serve the Lord.(3:17)

From the manual:

Education is the great conversion process under which abstract knowledge becomes useful and productive activity. It is something that need never stop. No matter how old we grow, we can acquire knowledge and use it. We can gather wisdom and profit from it. We can be entertained through the miracle of reading and exposure to the arts and add to the blessing and fulfillment of living. The older I grow, the more I enjoy the words of thoughtful writers, ancient and modern, and the savoring of that which they have written.

What have you learned recently that has been especially valuable to you?

'It is never too late to learn. I believe this with all my heart. Sister Hinckley and I are growing old. We are in our mid-80s. I am constantly amazed at what a voracious reader she is. She reads two newspapers a day, goes through magazines, is an ardent student of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, and I saw her the other evening reading a lengthy biography.

I know of no other practice which will make one more attractive in conversation than to be well-read in a variety of subjects. Said the Lord to you and to me: "Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. … Organize yourselves. … Cease to be idle" (D&C 88:118-119, 124).

The best books are the scriptures. Said the Lord: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39). Read the Church magazines. There are many other worthwhile things to read. Reading will sharpen your mind. It will clean up your intellect. It will improve your speech to get into the thoughts of the great men and women of the ages, including those of our own age.' (Gordon B Hinckley, "A Conversation with Single Adults,"Ensign, Mar. 1997, 62)

Read: The Journey of Lifelong Learning – Elder Robert D Hales

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Source: https://latterdaybloke.home.blog/2017/09/06/teachings-of-gordon-b-hinckley-chapter-17-continue-in-the-great-process-of-learning/

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