Native American Swimming Lessons

I had a conversation once with a few members of a Native American tribe about how they raise their children. The topic of swimming came up, and they told me with an absolutely straight face that they literally throw their children into a running river at the age of six. The children either learn to swim, or get a truly terrifying experience and have to be saved by an adult. More often than not, I was told, the child learns very quickly how to keep their head above water. As with so many other things, a feeling of necessity makes for very quick learning.

Throwing Yourself into the River

When was the last time you forced yourself to learn by immersion? We hear about how it's the best way to learn a language, but have you ever actually tried it? With a language or anything else?

One of the best ways to learn to do nearly anything is to put yourself in a situation where you have to pick it up quickly. You'll fail at first. Probably badly. But if you have no choice but to fail completely or start getting better at whatever it is, you will very likely get better at by sheer necessity. 

So pick something you want to learn, and throw yourself in. Don't stop reading, studying, and educating yourself, of course. But eventually you're going to have to jump in, because that's where the real test is.

Once you've jumped in, don't look for or expect a rescue if you fail. Put yourself in challenging situations where the assistance of others is more than just a single easy step away. Force yourself to find a way to succeed.

Throwing Others into the River

If you are ever in a position where you are responsible for the education or even informal learning of another person, there will come a point at which you must cut that person or group of people loose and let them sink or swim. 

This could be as a parent, a supervisor, or even as a friend or lover. Sometimes the best thing you can do for a person that needs to learn is to immerse them in a challenging situation that forces them to either exhibit the skills they need to learn, or suffer for failing to do so.

I'm not advocating allowing anyone to come to true, lasting him, of course. However it certainly true that nothing motivates someone like having real skin in the game, and that we often learn more from our failures than we do from our victories.

So the next time someone near you needs to learn, resist the urge to jump in and rescue them from their struggles the moment they falter. Consider whether or not you are actually helping them, or just giving in to your urge to prevent their discomfort. Think about what is truly best for them in the long run.

Do You Swim?

As always, I want to hear from all of you. Tell us about times when you have been thrown into thick of things, either by your own choice or by someone else. Tell us how it went and what you learned. Tell us what you were like once you came out the other side.