Training as a Way of Seeking the Good of Others

“Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish and he eats every day.”

Training is a kind of service that seeks to share and transfer knowledge and skills to those who need it. A classical form of training is one-on-one, in-person. A master trained one or more apprentices in his art or craft, step by step, from lower to higher levels of complexity. In the master’s workshop, the learner literallly “followed in his master’s footsteps” as he moved from one work station to another.  Historians have also written about one-to-many or “classroom education” in ancient societies like those of Egypt, China, India, Greece, and Rome. The modern school system started only in the 1830s when Horace Mann, at that time the United States Secretary of Education, championed tax-funded (and therefore public) schools.

The internet made online education possible. YouTube channels like Khan Academy have become valuable resources for online learners. Online courses are now offered through various platforms - some run by academic institutions, others by commercial services like Udemy.  Through these courses, anyone can offer training in a variety of fields, for free or for a fee. Corporations are also subscribing to “Training as a Service” platforms, which mostly provide online training for online or cloud-based software solutions.

Training seeks to enable a person to do something for his own benefit. As the old adage suggests, instead of waiting for somebody to give him fish, the man who has been trained in fishing can catch his own fish (independence) and do so as long as necessary (sustainability). Training also builds a sense of efficacy (a sense of one’s competence in doing something), and enhances a person’s capability (how well he can do something) so that he can make most of available resources and talents. When he is able to do more with what he has, he is more likely to acquire more resources - more equipment, space, employees, etc - so that he can produce more. This is known as “capacity building”.

If you want to help somebody, think of the knowledge and skills that you have - the same knowledge and skills can be useful to them. Offer to provide training. If you meet them frequently, you do in-person training You can also do online training through YouTube, blog, or an online course. This way you can share your God-given capabilities with those who need the same capabilities to live better lives.