Keep Learning - Make that a Way of Life

An oft-repeated joke is of a man who stood by a shredder and sought the help of a lady colleague passing by. Very helpfully, she passed the paper into the feeder. In the meanwhile, the man said, “2 copies please”. Obviously, he wanted to copy the document but the document ended up getting shredded, for he had not learnt the difference between a copier and shredder, leave alone how to operate it, probably because he never thought it would be of any use. This goes to prove how imperative it is to learn whatever we can.

We have heard that Knowledge is power. A few differ saying knowledge is only potential power meaning it can be powerful only when it is put to use. Yet, it pays to keep acquiring knowledge for we never know when we may need it.

Learning is rudimentary where one learns just enough to survive as a newborn babe learns to suck milk or a student learns his lessons to pass his exams or a job-hunter to land a job. Learning has to go beyond what is absolutely necessary for an individual to grow into a well-informed, an interesting and a resourceful person, impacting not only himself but also those around.

Learning comes from unexpected quarters. I realized this when I observed a young girl next door. The 6^th grader was learning English – plurals, genders, opposites and so on. She nodded half-heartedly even as her mother went on to explain that being proficient in English would help her in understanding other subjects also, and picked up the guitar. As she strummed the latest song that she had learnt, she alongside sang ‘Doe a dear, a female deer ………’ when suddenly her eyes became big as though she had struck on a treasure. For suddenly she had learnt that doe is a female deer. It was an Eureka moment for her.

An open mind and a willing heart are all that are required to keep learning from each and every circumstance.

Learning opens up new and unforeseen opportunities in profession, relationships, and many other aspects of life. My nephew learnt the guitar from the internet and is now a part of a rock band which goes around giving paid performances at reputed locations and events. This also goes to prove that learning is not limited to a classroom or to books and other formal portals.

Learning can be life-saving. When I volunteered for a free training in fire fighting and fire prevention, I learnt techniques of handling fire emergencies, one of which actually helped me deal with a fire right inside my kitchen, without using any of the fire extinguishers, because there was none in my house. I still remember how my neighbor rued the fact that his cousin passed away on the way to hospital after he complained of breathlessness, because he had not learnt CPR procedure even when a hospital team had offered it in their office.

For our own sake, learning should be continuous; what starts from the womb should end only at the tomb meaning we should keep learning throughout our life, which is the only way we keep ourselves mentally agile, something which is so essential to live a healthy life.

- Published in LinkedIn on 17th July 2015