Imagine feeling empowered to learn and fully understand any concept. And imagine that you could easily teach that concept to anyone, any age, from any walk of life.

 

And imagine that you could apply your mastery of understanding to understanding people so well that you could get along with anyone and empathize with their point of view.

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And then imagine that you could use that skill to help people see each others' points of view and mediate challenging disputes.

 

As you master the eight core principles of this season, you will learn to do just that:

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1. Be Aware of Schema:​

A schema is a mental model that's kind of like a great tappestry. Imagine that everything you know is like a thread of they all weave together to make a great tappestry.

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This tappestry includes knowledge about things we might call "book knowledge" like historical, scientific, or mathmatical facts. It also includes your assumptions about people or types of people; your phylosophical, spiritual, and political beliefs; and your sense of cause and effect. Ultimately, your schema is your entire world view.

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> Why does it matter that you understand how your own schema is built?

> What's the difference between your schema and The Truth? How are your schema and The Truth related?

> Why is it helpful to understand other people's schema?

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2. Learn (Adjust Your Schema):​

Whenever you learn anything, you add to your schema. If we return to the tapestry example, learned is like adding new threads to the tapestry of our schema.

 

 

 

 

 

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When you seek out new information through research, listening, experimenting, etc., you learn and add new threads to your schema. And you probably also remove other threads.

 

Our schema tapestries don't have an end pattern that already exists. We're figuring it out as we go. So, as we learn things, we have to keep pulling out threads and adding new ones as our schema adjusts to better reflect our efforts to know The Truth.

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> What are all the things you've learned today? Write down as many as you can think of.

> What have you learned during your life that has influenced your expectations and sense of cause and effect?

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3. Be Open-Minded:​

Be humble enough to accept that any new idea that comes your way could be true or helpful. If you automatically right off ideas because they seem so different than your current schema, you'll inhibit your own growth and miss out on concepts that could be helpful to you.

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4. Test New Ideas:​

As you discover new concepts, balance open-mindedness with critical thinking. Test new ideas to be sure that they help you Fulfill Your Yearnity.The Core Principles of Discerning Truth can help you do so.

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> What can you do to balance open-mindendess with testing new ideas?

> What practices will help you be more open-minded?

> What techniques can you use to effectively test new ideas?

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5. Take Initiative to Learn:​

Even if you don't intentionally try to learn things, you're learning all the time. Daily experiences naturally teach you things about cause and effect, what you can expect from people, how the world works, etc.

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If you take the initiative to learn and discover Truth and are refective about what you learn, you'll be more likely to create a schema that more closely aligns with how things really are. Then, the fruit of your schema will be mindsets and behavior that help you Fulfill Your Yearnity.

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> What specific things can you do to take iniative in your learning?

> How can you be more refective about what you've learned?

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6. Be Accountable for Your Schema:​

Act in accordance with what you understand to be true. What good does it do to learn if you aren't acting on your increased understanding.

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Be careful about devoting time to learning things which you have no way of applying at this time.

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> How have you acted in harmony with your schema today? How have you acted out of harmony with your schema today?

> Do you ever devote time to learning things that you really can't apply in any way?

> How do the Core Principles of Accepting Accountability relate to schema and learning?

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7. Articulate Your Schema:​

You learn a concept better when you teach it to someone else. Consider the Core Principles of Communicating Effectively as you do so.

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Articulating your schema can also include just writting down what you understand. As you make yourself put your schema to paper, you'll teach yourself and understand it better. It's helps you wrap your head and heart around what you know.

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> When have you learned a concept better by teaching it to someone else or writing it down?

> What concept could you teach to someone or write down today or in the near future?

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8. Apply Effort to Understanding:​

All of the above requires work! Learning and teaching simply takes effort. There's no way around that if you want to develop a schema that Fulfills Your Yearnity and aligns with all 13 virtues.

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> Why do learning and teaching require effort?

> How have you felt when you put in the effort to master a difficult concept?

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Schema and Relationships

People yearn for deep connection with others. Yet we allow ego to put up walls of misunderstanding, selfishness, and pride that keep us from connecting.

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Increased knowledge can sometimes puff up the ego and lead us to think we're better than others. But that doesn't have to be the case.

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Someone who has mastered the principles related to schema has the resources to deeply connect and empathize with people from all walks of life and backgrounds. Consider the following:

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> What is the benefit of understanding the schema of another person?

> What role do different schemas play in disputes  and disconnection between people?

> How can the eight principles listed above help us grow in empathy?

> How can a deep mastery of the principles of schema help someone be an effective mediator between disputing parties?