How Do you Overcome Poor Teaching

[Leon]

St. Francis Xavier once said Give me the child until he is seven and I’ll give you the man.

In short this means, a child up to the age of seven can be moulded one way or the other, depending on the quality of teacher. The question is, how does someone overcome poor teaching, if they was taught badly in their childhood.

[usercarl]

For me the question is: how can you tell bad teaching ? how can you tell anything beeing bad, before the LAST words of the whole story are written? As Kaz said in her spiritiau way " water" thread, sometomes the shortes way is not obvious. Yes maybe teaching in one way would lead a man into a lot of trouble but still there is so much experience in it... which can hardly be learned from a book.
My experience is, that when one has suffered enough he will eventually come to a standstill and find out, that no matter how much you let go, there is still love. Love will lead his way back to himself, no matter how " wrong " his direction may have been throughout life. Peace, Heinrich

[DeeUSA]

I believe the way to over come is by looking at what surrounds you. I was always taught in sales that you find the most successful sales person and then you emulate them.

I think maybe that would apply with over coming poor teachings. If you're surrounded by negativity, deceitfulness and things such as that then you search out what the opposite. Once you locate the opposite, surround yourself with that (ie positivity, honesty, goodness etc). If you open yourself up to receive those vibes I think you will eventually learn to exhibit those good behaviors.

Just my opinion....

Great question Leon, thanks for posting!

Blessings
Dee

[jessiethecorgi]

we all get bad examples and we can all heal. i think the good examples stick more from age one to seven but i choose Jesus in the womb. But if this isn't your situation there is a prayer according to the bible that God always answers. No matter how awful you are or what you've done God always grants more and wisdom if you ask for it. Then read a Psalm in the morning and a Pslam in the evening and you will heal. Even if you haven't sought spirituality up until now the process of becoming holy has been going on. I went into great detail about this in my post about karma 1of 12 in the Buddhist section of this forum. i recently clarified it and that is the third reply on the post.

[tinamarie]

How does someone overcome poor teaching, if they was taught badly in their childhood?

It never seems to fail, that something I have read on this forum pops into my mind during my day-to-day living, and that is exactly what happened here.

I feel very much caught in the middle in my life ... as a daughter and as a mother, and for many many reasons. I stand between my parents who raised me, and impressed upon me their rules, ideals, morals, etc. On the other side of me are my three children, and as they are becoming independent, I notice how part of who They are today, is how I raised them and impressed upon them rules, ideals, morals, etc.

The thing is, as I am learning about myself (inner-work), I am understanding abit about how we can pass on poor teaching without even realizing it because it is all we know. Situations and experiences we went through as children and how we were "taught" to deal with them, are brought forward into our adult lives and passed on to our children, whether they are born of us, or are children we influence (ie. as a teacher, coach, etc.)

I think in order to overcome poor teaching, one needs to examine themselves deeply, with honesty, courage, and a willingness to see and change.

We can only change ourselves of course, and I seem to always forget that when it comes to my children ... mainly because they are young adults now, and my teachings have already been impressed upon them. All I can do is continue to look at myself, and sort through the poor teaching I received, and show them by example what I am learning.

I have to remind myself that it is "never too late" to change, and I pray that my children will learn some "good teaching" now, and will pass it on to their children.

Thank you for reading my words.

Peace
Tina-M.

[Ishtahota]

Some of my best spiritual lessons have come from some of the worst teachers ever. And in the end those teachers and their teachings was the only way that Spirit could get threw to me at that time. I know a lot of people who have been what society would call very good people. But the funny thing about many of them today is that the older they get the more empty and dead inside they feel.
If your teacher isn't talking about changing your consciousness I would suggest finding another, but that is me. One of the most important sayings of the Christians teacher Jesus was left out of the Bible. The Gospel of Thomas,: "When you can make the two into one, there I will be also". It is all about our consciousness. If you end the inner conflict the split in our consciousness can be healed. When we step from duality into non-duality we awaken. We spit out the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
We all have a male side and a female side, or we can say that we have a conscious mind and a sub-conscious mind. Or you could say that we have a left and a right brain. It is the Grand Marriage of the Mystics. WE ARE THE ONES THAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING ON.

[gruntal]

Actually considering the information age, the global economy, rampant immigration not to mention a liberal bent today for "anything goes" , it would seem hard NOT to stray from early first impressions. Indeed the insistance of dogma and tradition can have a reverse phychology on many causing abandonment of things in youth although old age brings a need for comfort and security and a return to the beginning.

As I have noted in past posts, just as a reaffirmation of past experiences; some people in some times and some places NEVER seem to "get it". They are utterly impossible to mold. And hopeless to predict. I have heard countless stories and anecdotes and fables about those who, by nobodies fault, turned into saints or sinners not because but in spite of early teachings.

But I admit most people do not sit down and decide to become rebels or parriahs or prophets. It really SPOILS your day and every day ever after. In that context using your childhood and culture as an excuse to be what you are is not really all that bad. It almost guarantees popularity. Ins't all that is?

Oh yes - to answere the question of how to over come bad teaching. Just go to some group you feel "at home" with. If it really works you would be amazed how quickly the old habits and attitudes disapear!. If in doubt adopt a stray pet that has lacked a good home for years and see how fast it molds itself to your new life. If things are forgotten - or remembered - there just may be a good reason for that.