I am a believer in life-long
learning.
For me, that doesn’t
necessarily mean taking courses—although it could. There are all sorts of
courses one could take without even leaving home, and a lot of them are free!
But basically, life-long learning can even be as simple to achieve as being an
avid reader, asking questions about the world around us, and looking for
answers.
Life-long learning is more a
mind set than it is any specific activity. It means being open to discovering
new things. You need to have a healthy curiosity—about the world, the past, new
discoveries, people, whatever. Perhaps it comes easier to me, being a writer.
Writers always begin with those amazing two words: what if? They always begin
with a question, and then go in search of an answer.
I don’t ever want to stop
asking “what if”. I don’t ever want to stop seeking answers—whether they are
answers that will be contained within the covers of a novel, or just answers
because I want to know them.
One of the things that’s wrong
with modern life, in my very humble opinion, is there’s a definite lack of
curiosity in people these days. Curiosity is that one trait that has propelled
humanity forward, as a species. What’s over the next hill? What’s on the other
side of that ocean? What are those lights in the night sky? If you think about
it, without curiosity, we would all still be living in caves. Some would say
that might not be such a bad thing. I strongly disagree. I believe that without
curiosity, the human race would have become extinct long, long ago.
As we age, we humans, we become
a little bit like hermits. I find this to be especially true if the times in
which we are living are particularly uncertain. It can be so easy to just huddle
within ourselves, becoming metaphorical turtles. Fear and uncertainty become
awesome weapons in the hands of the greedy, wielded without conscience against
the many. But if you give in to that, if you hunker down, close the shades, and
live in a fantasy realm of your own construction, you’re not safer. In fact,
you’re in more danger than you could ever possibly imagine.
We must keep learning. We must
keep wondering what’s over that next hill. We have to keep our minds open to new
people, new experiences, new ideas, and new discoveries. Giving in to fear,
hiding from the truth, never helped anyone in the long-term. Short term gains
resulting in long-term pain is a reversal of an old saying, but true,
nonetheless.
Our brains, like any other part
of our body, need to be exercised. The more you exercise your mind, the stronger
it becomes. The stronger it becomes, the more formidable of a human being you
are. Being a life-long learner means you are more likely to develop the ability
to improvise when the need arises. You’re more likely to adapt to a changing
situation, reading the signs around you yet being able to keep your focus on the
main thing. Keeping an open mind, having a curiosity about the world around you,
positions you to be better able to overcome the challenges you face. And trust
me, folks, where there is life, there will be challenges.
The greedy, the corrupt and the
bullies around us can appear invincible, can seem as if they are in control and
fear nothing, and yet nothing could be further from the truth.
They fear those who are aware,
curious, and insightful; they fear those who excel at the ability to improvise,
adapt, and overcome. In short, they fear the life-long learners of this world
and the power of the knowledge, and the knowledge of self they hold.
Love,
Morgan
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