THE 3-LEGGED STOOL

You've probably come across this concept--perhaps in psychology, economics, education, leadership studies, and other settings.

I learned about it in my church:

Episcopalians value Scripture, Tradition and Reason equally. We often use the metaphor of a three-legged stool, with each leg of the stool contributing equally to our balanced approach. Each of the three sources of authority must be perceived and interpreted in light of the other two.

My normal everyday meandering thoughts don't often reach for that metaphor, but when I got a hint of an inkling for a blog post, there it was: the three-legged stool.

My topic was learning. Well, I've done that one before. Learning and Re-Learning. I've probably talked about lifelong learning--a buzz phrase that's been around for a decade or two in the world of education.

But this time--a different set of thoughts came along. Learning. Discovery. And then, the third leg of the stool, Sharing.

LEARNING   -   DISCOVERY   -   SHARING

We may be getting into chicken-and-egg territory here (to haul in yet another metaphor) when we discuss Learning and Discovery. Which comes first? It can be argued both ways.

As pre-schoolers, we learn about reading, recognizing shapes and pictures and adding sounds. Learning, yes. But also--Discovery. That word, ball, is what we say when we hold that object in the picture. If I'm asked to go get the ball so we can play outside, I know what to find in my playroom. If I'm asked to identify the picture in my little book, I can say ball. So, did I learn the word ball, or did I discover it while looking at pictures?

Probably safest to say: Learning is Discovery is Learning.

So far, so good. We could go on and on through our lives, learning and discovering and learning and . . . but so what? 

Of course I gave it away--we Share what we've learned and discovered. And how is that done? As Elizabeth Barrett Browning said, "let me count the ways." We Share practically every day without knowing we're doing so:

• explaining
• questioning
• writing a personal letter, entry in a journal, an article for publication, letter to the editor
• teaching another person
• suggesting a solution to a problem
• and so on and so on
  

I'd say, it's almost impossible not to share what we know. We do it without thinking, in our actions and our speaking. 

We also do it with thinking when we teach someone else what we know. Or when we make a suggestion in a committee meeting or to a neighbor or friend.

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This essay is short, because it covers so much of what seems natural in our lives. So here's the takeaway:

KEEP ON LEARNING

KEEP ON DISCOVERING

KEEP ON SHARING

 And while you're at it, have a blessed week!

Thursday's Child