It wasn’t that we weren’t attentive. Or interested. And the teacher was one of the best I’ve ever come across. It just wasn’t there. Oh sure, the summer was well spent. Any brain cells that couldn’t keep up were left for dead. The thinning of the herd. Never thought I’d need those again.
Dr. Holzer just looked at the class. But he wasn’t bewildered. It was turned into another teaching moment. He just said - “That’s right! This is what happens when you don’t use what you’ve learned! You lose it.”
There was another time when I went to class, pretty darn crispy from the night before, and I went to my usual seat in the far back corner. Time to review the study and homework assignment on the board.
The professor looks out over the class for a knowledgeable student to get the problem started. Despite my best Invisible Man impersonation, I was selected and had NO CLUE where to start. Because I hadn’t done the work. After my first 3 failed guesses, he ended the torture and said “That’s right class. At the end of the week you will all be getting paychecks. Mr. Rusk however will be getting a Pink Slip.” Ouch. Quite few lessons there.
Another teaching moment, although a different professor. And over the years, both lessons have proven true, no matter the subject area. If you don’t do the Work, you will have no clue where to start or what to do. And if you don’t use it, you will lose it. That last one seems to work on just about everything. If only it worked on my love handles.
Haha. I’m not talking about trigonometry, either, although it applies too. I’m talking humanity. Spirituality. Your mind. Use it or lose it.
With thanks to Dr. Siegfried M. Holzer, who prepared me well for life.
