Imitation

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“Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery – it’s the sincerest form of learning.” – George Bernard Shaw

When we lived in the Philippines when I was growing up, we had two young women who helped us – one who cooked and one who cleaned. One day when the cook had a day off, my mom made toast and accidentally burned it. She took it to the sink and scraped off the burned bits before buttering it and serving it. The woman who did the cleaning thought this is how Americans made toast. Whenever she made toast for us, she intentionally burned it before scraping and serving it.

I thought of this story last night as I was sitting with my kids as they watched their shows. My daughter picked up her milk cup and accidentally banged it against her bowl of popcorn. My son, who even when he doesn’t seem to be is always watching his older sister, followed suit. He picked up his cup of milk and intentionally banged it on his popcorn bowl.

Imitation is such a natural way to learn. I know this from the last six years of seeing how children learn walking and talking just by imitation. As I watched my kids last night, it occurred to me that sometimes we copy people instead of asking.

In this week that mark’s the seventh anniversary of my dad’s sudden death, it’s no surprise he’s on my mind. But again and again, the thing I am so grateful for is that by following the Divine whisper in my heart, I found my way to asking him what was so important about his life and what he knew.

Imitation works fine for learning when how to make toast but doesn’t replace telling someone how much we admire them. Only by asking can we find out what are the important things they want to pass on to others. It feels more vulnerable to do it but it’s a precious gift that leaves us closer instead of at the sink, scraping off the burned bits of toast and wondering why we never asked.

(featured image from Pexels)

13 thoughts on “Imitation”

  1. Imitation (or copying) works well in so many situations where we wish to learn something, but like your examples show, are we being careful to imitate someone who knows what they’re doing, or are we blindly mimicking the behavior of others around us?

    I taught myself many skills by imitating experts, but eventually, when I felt comfortable with my new skills, I was able to find my own voice with how I expressed them.

    Unfortunately, these days we’re seeing people imitate negative people they see getting attention, and so they’re perpetuating the lies and anger being circulated. Sometimes mimickery is best left not done!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I love that you use the word mimicking, Tamara. That definitely captures that spirit of doing it mindlessly.

      May we all follow the path you describe and move from imitation to ownership! Thanks for the great comment!

      Liked by 3 people

  2. I love and also laughed at the toast story. It is so true. And how I miss having help in the Philippines. Here in North America, we have to do everything! 😆

    Learning from others is such an important aspect of the learning process. I agree with you it is important to nurture a spirit and an openness to asking questions rather than following along blindly.

    And on the flip side, also being mindful of how our behaviours may be copied by others, especially our impressionable young children!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. So funny that you can relate! I remember it was a bit of a shock to me when we moved back to N. America when I was 7 years old. I’d lived in the Philippines since I was 6 months old and yes, we have to do everything!

      Yes, our young children who take in EVERYTHING! God help them… 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Yes! Such a good point. God grant me the strength to be consistent. 🙂

      Often I watch my son imitate his sister and don’t always take in the way they are watching me. Then the other day, my daughter put on black leggings and a cranberry shirt and said, “Look, we’re matchy-matchy!” 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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