When I was a kid I was a big fan of G.I.Joe. I would have all the action figures as well as watch all their cartoons. At the end of each show there would be a short skit on a different safety procedure to teach kids what to do in an emergency. There was one about what to do in a fire, what to do if you cut yourself, and lots of other useful tips. Boys would act out the incident and then a character from the G.I.Joe team would come in and explain what they should do. After hearing the explanation the boys would say, “Thanks Joe…now we know.” And the final response was always the same, “And knowing is half the battle.”
Teaching English for the past 9 years at my school at Smith’s 英会話 in Hirakata has been the greatest joy of my life. I really do feel as if I’m making a difference in people’s lives. And I have to thank my students for helping make me a better person. All my students’ hard work makes me want to work even harder. I have found that in life most of us already know what to do. We know that exercise is good for us. We all know that homework is for our benefit. We all know that vegetables help make us healthy. But just because we know something, doesn’t mean we actually do it. There is a big difference between knowing and doing.
I’m reminded of a quote from the fantastic movie, Gladiator with Russell Crowe (9.8 by the way), in which the man he plays is about to go into battle and to inspire his troops he says, “what we do in life, echoes in eternity.” It’s what we do, not what we know, that makes us all great. So get out there and do whatever it is you’re supposed to do.
Adrian
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