northernscout said:I’ve been stuck on the question of "who is a student?" initially, I assumed a student is anyone given the chance to learn. But then I hit a wall with the concept of "opportunity." A student gets that chance when they encounter someone or something possessing more knowledge than themselves. They only actually seize that opportunity when they are "ready." How does a student become ready? It’s likely a mix of internal and external factors. So, external ones matter. It doesn't just rest on the student's shoulders when readiness occurs. For instance, a kid growing up in a home with an alcoholic father who’s abusive is definitely going to face enough trauma to prevent them from being ready to deeply absorb what's taught in school. In that light, the old saying feels hypocritical because it implies readiness is solely the student's responsibility.
Then I wondered: shouldn't every person be considered a student? Being human means being a learner, because unless you're living on a deserted island, there is always someone or something around you that knows more. Looking at where people live globally, it becomes obvious that some can't even function as students because their basic physiological needs aren't met. If you're starving or thirsty, you can't pursue self-actualization or seek out meaning—even if that meaning is realizing nothing matters. Again, learning is blocked by external realities I didn't consider when I first heard the proverb, making it feel hollow.
Does this line of thought count as philosophy (in the actual sense of the word, not the colloquial insult)? An intro to a high school philosophy textbook mentioned there is no recipe for philosophizing. So how do we distinguish genuine thought from philosophy? Maybe by the subject matter? Should I be diving into literature now, finding representative texts that debate this specific idea, analyzing them, and reinterpreting them to expand my own views? Is that the only point where it truly becomes philosophy?
northernscout,
Philosophy is wisdom—the gift of understanding divine truth and the spiritual principles flowing through all matter. The Bible reinforces this: "Seek wisdom, and everything else will be added unto you."
A student. That’s anyone with the opportunity to learn, and the desire and necessity to do so. You can learn from a teacher, but a teacher is anything and everything: life, fate, nature, the world, people... and God sits at the top of the pyramid.
A student is only a student when their heart is ready to learn. Jesus said, "Do not cast pearls before swine." Jesus withheld certain truths from his followers because they weren't prepared for them: "I have much more to tell you, but you are not able to bear it right now." Certain knowledge can actually be a curse if a person accepts it while being fully aware of the responsibility but incapable of living up to it.