Remember when we were little kids and the teacher asked us to complete the homework. Sometimes reluctantly, other times enthusiastically we finished it and got a distinctive relief. That was the time when we were not keen to study or learn. Or perhaps we were. But we learnt – quite a number of things. And as we grew up, the opposite happened– we desperately tried to learn and often failed. This especially happens once we have completed our education. The question remains – when do we actually learn?
The best part during school and college is that the only responsibility we have is to learn. Quite often we shy away from that responsibility. The schools do not give us enough freedom to experiment with our interests and we are mostly occupied with academic and non-academic work. That is somewhat fair, as it is during the school when we learn discipline and therefore strict rules need to be followed at this stage. But a bit more freedom could be effective in building the curiosity in the mind of a growing kid. This is only the curiosity that takes them to new elevations in the future.
Coming to the college education, when we have enough freedom to learn beyond academic activities, we again make a huge mistake. Since in India, parents often take care of the fees and other expenses of their sons and daughters, most of us fail to understand the value of money during college. This is a big learning opportunity that we miss during our college days. Financial support from family members that should motivate us to learn better rarely serves that purpose. Result – text books remain the only source of learning.
Next as we on with our lives and start earning for the first time after formal education, we make an assumption that learning period has been over for us. And we find ourselves less competitive than we should have been. Some of us ask themselves – When did we learn?
Did we actually learn, or we did not … ?
Well, we certainly did. If not during our education then after that, if not in the classrooms then outside them, if not with intent, then without it, but we do learn. It never stops. May not be the things that we want to, but we still do. Learning is a never ending process and continues throughout our lives.
Important: What we are learning, and what we want to learn – have to be in sync.
But how?
It is advisable to find what you want to learn and work on it. Remember if your actions and your passion are not aligned in the same direction, your efficiency will be lesser. And your learning will be hampered. The key aspect of learning is to work on the process and stay away from end results and the expectations associated with it. Spend time in doing what you love. With people who are what you want to be like. Reading the things that fascinate you. Creating innovations in your field of interest. That will give you the right learning, what you wanted to.
After all, life is about exploring our own self, not blindly following others.
Deepak Rana 