learning - a never ending journey
I was thinking … until what age are we suppose to learn new things, to learn about ourselves and the world around us? Is there a point where you can say that you know everything and don’t need more information? Contrary to some views, I believe there is no specific age when you stop learning especially when referring the world around us. Let me explain…
Now I come from a family where learning was an important part of the everyday activities. If it was for school or reading on the side, the message was that now is your chance to learn doing and trying new things, as I was young and with a developing mind. This, I believe is an universal truth, that no one can deny. When we are young, with expanding brains, we are similar to a sponge, gathering information from the environment around us and also from our own experiences(being those good or bad). One thing that was debatable was the age until we are capable of learning. I was raised believing that there is a point that we all reach, when we cannot learn any new things. And that point, especially while young, while it seems unreal, was taken as one rule for life.
The years passed and now I have reached an age where I respectfully refute the message that we are no longer able to learn after a specific age. Even though I am not old I base my statement on the countless examples that contradict that perception. We have access to information on an unprecedent level and the only thing keeping us behind, is our own believe that we cannot learn anymore. From a medical standpoint there is the brain plasticity which as you get older makes is more difficult to absorb information. Nevertheless our brain is build like a muscle, if you don’t use it you lose it. For senior citizens there are courses organized for brain gym, in which through games and funny activities, the brain is stimulated to make new connections therefore remaining always busy. There are examples, which can be found with an easy search on google or youtube of persons who learned how to play piano, even though they were in their 40-50s.
One thing that we should always remember is that “Whether You Believe You Can Do a Thing or Not, You Are Right“. As we get older, our capacity and speed of absorbing information shrinks but it does not fade away. If we set ourselves a clear and realistic goal in learning something, for example a new language, we are able doing so. What we must adjust is our expectations in the timeline required in doing such a new endeavor.
Now there are people who firmly believe there is a point until you learn and after that it is called life experience and does not require any more additional input. I have heard someone say “I don’t read books anymore as it does not make sense. After a certain point it is called life experience“. It is a dangerous trait to take, even though I understand from where it comes from. At a certain age (I think starting with the 50s) you have gathered enough life experience to be sure on yourself on what you want or don’t want to see in your life. We have experienced many things until that point but when thinking I don’t need something more, you deny yourself the learned experiences of the remaining years you have on this planet. People who remain curious will always benefit as they will be able to absorb additional information and feedback from the environment around them. The only brake in continuing expanding your horizon is yourself.
One great example is continuous learning is Pewdiepie who over the years learned and documented his journey, starting from creating Youtube videos to drawing manga and today learning Machine Learning and Python in order to train it’s own AI Modell. He is not by all means old, but serves as a good example for anyone who wants to try and learn new things.
I believe a similar concept applies to families and the generational gap. Parents who are reaching their age “danger zone“ and remain with a fix way of thinking are having troubles with their young ones who reach puberty. They are unable to understand the fact that they also have things to learn from their young ones, as being so sure they know everything. My hope is that when I reach that point, will not fall into the same trap :) .
We learn … be that at work with a new project … be that in kindergarten when waiting for your child to get dressed … be that at home mounting a light bulb … we never stop learning if we allow ourselves to do so. The only person who has to gain from such a mentality is yourself. And for the ones who know everything … good luck. Must be hard living into such a small world of your own creation.
Until next time, TFG