I fell in love with a quote today.
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”
― Plutarch
Plutarch was a Greek Philosopher and I didn’t know I needed this quote until I read it and it sparked a realization for me.
I have always believed that my memory recall was terrible. There are times when I can recall something very quickly as if it was sitting in the forefront of my mind, waiting to be repeated. Then, there are times when I forget how to form simple English sentences using the intended words. I am self-conscious about this. While most people around me have no difficulty in conversation, I struggle to recall things I learned over the years.
Last year, I began telling myself that my memory recall is most likely normal. After doing some soul-searching, I decided that not everything is meant to be remembered and after reading that quote, I now feel like I was on to something.
I love learning new things but I felt like my thirst for knowledge was becoming a useless desire if I was unable to repeat it after learning. I was under the illusion that when I learn something new, that information needed to remain fresh and I needed to be able to regurgitate it to others when called upon.
With my previous way of thinking, my mind was a vessel and I was filling it with the expectation that I would retrieve it in the form in which I collected it. But now, I see that my mind has been a fire. I consume knowledge and that knowledge sparks new understandings and new growth of who I am.
My whole life I’ve been fueling my mind not to recite information to others but to grow and inspire others through my wisdom and way of life. I don’t just share what I know, the light of my fire shines brighter, calling those who want to learn, grow, and be consumed with knowledge not just fed.
This is how I choose to live because this is my purpose. Do you know about your mind? Ask yourself the question: Is your mind a vessel or a fire? Do you spread knowledge like a technical manual or rule book or do spread knowledge like a poem or song? Both are important but knowing how your brain work is such a freeing experience.
Look Within 