Learning an art form involves years of repetition. Ballet is based on repetition. Every day, every class, the same exercises are done over and over again. We get corrections from the teacher, we get stronger, more flexible, and more adaptable. We may never really master or perfect any given aspect of technique, but we learn to appreciate its beauty and to respect the purity and integrity of what it’s supposed to be. We want to repeat it again and again – we want to be better.
When I took piano lessons as a little girl, I did endless sets of scales and practiced my pieces, all because I wanted to be better. When I was working on my handwriting in school, my class practiced each letter over, and over, and OVER! My teacher made me repeat a bit more than some of my classmates, because I would get impatient, start to get sloppy, and no one could read my writing. I didn’t really care about making it look better, but I did have to be understood, and I cared about that.
Even in the Bible, God repeats many things multiple times. That’s because we’re supposed to remember, and we’re supposed to get better at loving each other. Some of the things that He repeats are warnings, so that we don’t keep making the same mistakes in history. We don’t seem to be getting better at that…yet.
Listening to repetition, even if unpleasant, was a given while growing up. Our teachers knew that if lessons and stories were repeated often enough, perhaps in a different way, we would eventually learn and remember. However, the longer I’ve been teaching, the more I’ve seen us becoming a “one and done” culture. I’ve had students’ parents complain that their child has already done this level, or taken that class, is now bored, and wants to move on, even if they’re not really ready. Why make someone repeat if it’s boring, or stressful, or If they “know it” already? Learning from our experiences, especially our mistakes, takes time and thought. It takes a plan, and sometimes it takes a re-routing that we’re not always willing to do. Re-routing takes too long, so we often try to do the same thing the same way (which is our way), because “this time will be different.” It won’t be different. It will be the same mistake. Tenacity and perseverance are wonderful things, but they include the humility to listen to wise counsel. Ignorant stubbornness always ends up in yet another mistake.
I’m sure most people have heard it said that history repeats itself. When painful events happen over and over again, many people roll their eyes and say (or think), “Oh, here we go again,” and that’s about the end of it. Someone else will fix it, right? Maybe those same events keep happening because we’re not trying to learn the right lesson. Perhaps we just want to hunker down until it blows over…again. Perhaps we don’t want to do better, because we think we are better?
I was born in Washington, D.C., and I lived just seven minutes outside the city in a suburb of Maryland. That meant that most rainy weekends and school field trips were spent in the art galleries, museums, and at memorials. The Smithsonian Institute was and still is my favorite, because even just one of the several buildings has enough exhibits to keep someone fascinated and occupied for over a week. We all had our favorite exhibits, and we made sure to see them every visit in addition to the latest acquisitions. Some of the exhibits memorialize horrific events, some celebrate wonderful scientific phenomena, and some are just beautiful to look at. Although varied in their scope, each building and exhibit are unified in its purpose – to make us learn and remember.
I have many books in my home that I have already read, but I keep them to re-read; I see different tidbits and get another “take-away” every time. So, I get frustrated and a bit sad when someone says, “I don’t need to hear that again,” or “I’ve seen that, so I’ll go get a cup of coffee until it’s over.” Repetition is always worth the time.
Have you ever been around war buddies? They take comfort in gathering together and recounting their horrific experiences to each other. It helps them bond, process what they’ve been through, and hopefully learn something about themselves. Women share their own “war stories” about childbirth so that new moms-to-be can be aware and warned.
If even God knows it’s necessary to repeat warnings, then why are we not willing to listen more than once, but apparently we are willing to repeat mistakes and then wonder why?
We all should want to do better, be better, learn better, and love better…by listening better.
Dance on.
Grace Notes 