V

May 19th

LEARN, PRACTICE, TRAIN

“That’s why the philosophers warn us not to be satisfied with mere

learning, but to add practice and then training. For as time passes

we forget what we learned and end up doing the opposite, and

hold opinions the opposite of what we should.”

—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.9.13–14

ery few people can simply watch an instructional video or hear
something explained and then know, backward and forward, how to
do it. Most of us actually have to do something several times in order to
truly learn. One of the hallmarks of the martial arts, military training, and
athletic training of almost any kind is the hours upon hours upon hours of
monotonous practice. An athlete at the highest level will train for years to
perform movements that can last mere seconds—or less. The two-minute
drill, how to escape from a chokehold, the perfect jumper. Simply knowing
isn’t enough. It must be absorbed into the muscles and the body. It must
become part of us. Or we risk losing it the second that we experience stress
or difficulty.
It is true with philosophical principles as well. You can’t just hear
something once and expect to rely on it when the world is crashing down
around us. Remember, Marcus Aurelius wasn’t writing his meditations for
other people. He was actively meditating for himself. Even as a successful,
wise, and experienced man, he was until the last days of his life practicing
and training himself to do the right thing. Like a black belt, he was still
showing up to the dojo every day to roll; like a professional athlete, he still
showed up to practice each week—even though others probably thought it
was unnecessary.