The Lifelong Student

#education #study #student #growth

Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote that “Knowledge is when you learn something new every day,” and “Wisdom is when you let something go every day,” the abridged version of which has descended to our popular vernacular in the form of simply “You learn something new every day.” But where Emerson made no suppositions as to whether one shall actively pursue knowledge, our modern version suggests that each day we are consciously or otherwise finding ways to educate ourselves. Is this really so?

For many adults, the notion of pursuing a continued education is inherently off-putting. It evokes memories of long hours in classrooms, cramming for tests, and working against deadlines to turn in essays. They recall the traditional, requisite, government-prescribed education systems designed to endow children and teens with a cursory knowledge of the fields of study they are assumed to need to be productive and successful adults. For those who go on to college, it is more of the same—more classrooms, more tests, and more deadlines—this time aimed at preparing one to be competent in a given field. This formal education system is a necessary model, as it creates a structure under which we can reasonably assume that graduates will be able to perform their job duties skillfully. That said, humans vary widely in how we receive, process, and store information, and while many will thrive in a traditional classroom environment, many others will not. Some will view school as an opportunity to learn, and arrive eagerly each day for class. Others who find it difficult to learn in such environments will dread the experience. By consequence, this latter group is often left with feelings of inadequacy, believing they are bad students, slow learners, or even incapable of learning at all. They cannot wait for their school experience to conclude, and they are happy to never look back after the final bell rings.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of learners, I would ask you to consider the meaning of the word “education.” Divest yourself from the notion that all learning—or even the best learning—takes place in a classroom or a lecture hall, under the direction of a schoolteacher or university professor. Consider that education is simply learning. It can be taken from a book, a video, a lecture, a conversation, or by merely going out into the world and having experiences. Most importantly, it is for everyone. It is not solely the domain of the skilled test taker or the convincing essayist.

Consider, too, what it means to study. This, no doubt, is another word that will conjure flashbacks of sleepless nights and grueling exams for many readers. Again, I would ask you to distance yourself from so narrow a view. Imagine, instead, spending an afternoon watching YouTube videos created by an expert in his field. This, too, is studying. Studying is simply allowing oneself to absorb one or more sources of knowledge for the purpose of learning. Availing ourselves to any source of knowledge, through any means we choose, is studying.

Whether we are visual, auditory, or verbal learners, there is one universal truth about learning: we most effectively retain information that interests us. It is never the case that a student has a favorite subject in school, but receives poor grades in it. When we take a genuine interest in a topic, we are likely to remember what we have learned about it because it is important to us. You have probably encountered a sports enthusiast who would tell you based on his school experience that he is a bad student, yet at a moment’s notice he is capable of recalling a wealth of statistics about his favorite team. You, too, whatever you believe about your prowess as a student, can no doubt speak knowledgeably and at length about one or more topics that are meaningful to you. The key to truly effective learning, you see, is to find and explore subjects for which you bear a natural curiosity. Dig beneath the surface, and once you have done so, dig a little deeper.

Two remarkable phenomena will occur if you do this. The first is that you will find your appreciation for the material you are studying deepening as your knowledge continues to grow. In this way, you may cultivate a true love for a thing that began as nothing more than a casual interest. Secondly, you will discover that the more you come to know, the more you will want to know. Through this beautiful cycle in which interest begets knowledge, and knowledge begets more knowledge still, you may soon find that you have risen to the rank of expert in your field of interest, perhaps without ever intending to do so. And therein lies the true gift of knowledge, for then you will be poised to share your expertise with others, to innovate in your field of interest, and harness your mastery for the betterment of the community.

Never have we lived in a time where knowledge is more plentiful. Detailed data on even the most arcane and esoteric of subjects is never more than a click or two away. Gone are the days of traveling hundreds of miles to study under masters of their trades. Now, from the comfort of our homes, we can hear their lectures and see them do their work. Best of all, we are free to study at our own pace and on our own terms. Neither by tests nor by grades is our progress assessed. Our ability to learn is measured only by the limits of our curiosity.

Remember, finally, that life itself is an education, and we are all students by virtue of our very existence. The question, then, is simply this: Will you show up for class? Will you embrace the challenges life presents you and find the lessons embedded in each experience, or will you float idly through life, accepting what good and bad may come? Will you let your passions lie dormant, or will you enrich them with knowledge and mastery for the edification of not only your own mind and spirit, but those of the greater world? You alone can answer these questions, and when all is said and done, it is you who will determine whether you have passed this most critical of tests.

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” — Brian Herbert