Lifelong Learning

Did you ever wonder about motivations for continuous learning?

Doesn’t our society tell us that we should ‘learn’ only when we are young; in school or university? But we are no longer students in traditional sense. There are no lectures or year-end exams. There are no formal report cards. No parents or teachers to impress. No graduate job interview to ace.

We can get by our lives by going to the office each day, coming back home late at in the evening, taking care of our family and enjoying the weekends with your friends. The same cycle on repeat till we retire, get old and spend the rest of our days in comfort of your home. Isn’t this what millions of people do?

Why should we care about learning all the time?

I believe embarking on a journey of lifelong learning gives you the opportunity to engage with the world around you and with yourself in the richest way possible.

Let me explain.

Firstly, there is a practical aspect to learning. The world around us is in a constant state of flux and understanding what is happening around you, at least on fundamental level, means you a part of it, a member of this club, so to speak.

Imagine walking by the Colosseum in Rome and knowing nothing about the Roman Empire. Imagine seeing a solar eclipse and not being able to understand why it gets dark. Imagine overhearing a conversation about role of social media in politics without having ever used a computer.

Learning, at the very least, is a means for you to understand what is going on around you and why. It feels assuring to be ‘in the know’.

Secondly, there is an exploratory element to learning. The world is a beautiful place with stories yet to be heard, cultures yet to be experienced, music yet to be heard and tastes yet to be savoured.

Continuously learning is like setting off into the world a second you. The second you is a traveller with a large backpack and a time machine, visiting different countries and places every time you learn. Yesterday he met Kopernik, today he had lunch with Tolstoy and tomorrow promises to be a great morning with Obama.

Thirdly, by studying the world you will undoubtedly learn about yourself. This intellect will sadly not add any letters after your name nor get you promoted, but it might help you to think more freely, without a formula, so that you begin to discover for yourself what is real and what is true.

Learning with an open mind will often challenge you and ask you to look inwards and reconsider your views, assumptions, thoughts and opinions, some of which you held dear for a long time.

Simply put, you will get to know yourself much better on this journey. You might be surprised what you find out.

And finally, there is magic and inspiration. As you dip into a new book, look through a telescope, visit a museum, see an opera, you become a student of life. You are not only expanding your horizons but also slowly starting to filter what you are naturally attracted to. What is truly ‘you’. Perhaps this how you find, what many call your ‘purpose’ in life.

You may focus your learning and attention on anything you like and everything above still holds true. There is no end to the discoveries that lie ahead and no graduation ceremony. The world is open for you to learn.

Let your traveller free.

Update: Relatedly, I wrote a new article on the topic which you can read here: Principles of Learning