"Sitting at the feet of..."

Whenever a person willingly "sits at the feet of..." another human, regardless of their claimed, or assumed position in life, either mundanely or spiritually, the one at the bottom can learn something from the one on top. And, after that (set of) transactions have occurred, they can switch positions, and the same law holds true.

If people could understand this PRIOR to the debasing act of "sitting at the feet of..." they would already comprehend much about what understanding means - both in the literal sense, and the metaphorical sense.

The "idea" (that everybody bandies about >>as if<< they understand it, but in fact, they don't - because if they did, they would stop saying it) that Life is really the only and best teacher, or put another way (so as to "include" themselves in the equation), anyone can be your teacher... the clerk, the beggar, the businessman, the mother, whomever, is a variation on the genetic realization mentioned in the first paragraph.

Go figure.

Ok, here's an ad hoc figuring, since I'd bet $1000 dollars I mentioned it first, but then, who could prove it either way... take ANY person on this or ANY email list - it doesn't matter - and try to "sit at the feet of" just that ONE person, let him/her be your one and only teacher for the moment, try to UNDERSTAND what they are teaching you (because that is ALL everyone is doing everytime they open their mouth, everytime they write a post, everytime they anything (within your ear- and/or eye-shot) - they are teaching YOU something you need.)

That is to say, if you actually listened to what somebody was trying to tell you, and seriously attempted to "do as you were told", you would make (the kind of) progress in whatever "thing" of which you are attempting to make progress, according to you.