LEARN, UNLEARN & RELEARN – PATH TO SELF RENEWAL

 

Alvin Toffler said: "The illiterate of the future are not those who can't read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." 

 

Can we imagine a life without learning? Our learning process starts right from birth. We learn to walk, talk, recognize, eat. Each day enriches us with a new lesson. We go to school and university to study the desired subjects. The learning is not just limited to academics – it is far beyond. (coping with challenges, acquiring new skills, understanding human values, interpersonal relationships, etc.) The process of learning continues incessantly till we die.

 

We learn many things by default (from our parents), which are essential. Academic learning is also more by peer pressure than a personal choice. Learning becomes monotonous with little excitement.

 

Learning a new skill which fascinates us is always exhilarating. (I know some doctors who were more thrilled to learn piano than do their surgeries). Ask any book lover – reading books is an enchanting journey to the new shores of knowledge. These are just a few examples. One can pursue any area of passion. 

 

Learning is crucial for the growth of our minds. If we have a passion for learning, we always continue to grow. In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear writes, "One should learn something new each day".

 

Life is the most prominent teacher. It throws many challenges throughout our lives. We make mistakes and suffer, get jolted by others' behaviour towards us – betrayal, rejections & lies, and have to deal with adverse circumstances. Our attitude decides our fate. Our life would find a positive dimension If we learn from our mistakes, grasp to accept the inevitable, come to terms with our expectations from others & respect others as they are.

 

We live in a constantly changing milieu. The advances are occurring at breakneck speed - technology, Medicine, business modules, social structure and Education. Take the example of Medicine. I post graduated in Medicine 35 years ago. The concepts change, technologies evolve, and approaches differ. If I want to keep pace and be more effective as a doctor, what I learned in the past, which may be irrelevant at the moment, must be unlearned by me first. If I stay rigid and feel no need to learn new things – you can guess what I will be left with. The surgical techniques, the imaging modalities, and the increasing use of AI in Medicine – how can one stay afloat without embracing the change? The same applies to all other fields.

 

The biggest stumbling block to one's progress is unwillingness to unlearn. The set ideas, knowledge, assumptions & beliefs are so much taught in our lives that accepting different ideas and expertise becomes challenging. 

 

Our ego is the biggest obstacle in the path of unlearning. To unlearn means to accept our shortcomings. If we stay in our world of outdated knowledge, believing it to be the only truth – we can never grow. I know some doctors who were unwilling to accept new technologies & management approaches radically different from the conventional opinions held for long. They slipped into oblivion. Persons afflicted with strong confirmation bias remain at a standstill.

 

Zig Ziglar aptly commented – "If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you".

 

Unlearning is like emptying the cup (filled with old, irrelevant stuff) to fill it with felicitous material. What will happen if we do not fill the cup? We would not be any wiser. Relearning is filling the cup. 

 

The internet has brought the world to everyone's doorstep. But how good would it be if you needed to learn how to use it? The world is changing at breakneck speed, thriving on innovations and change. One must embrace them by bringing about change within to stay relevant in the contemporary world. Unlearning & relearning are imperative prerequisites for purposeful amelioration. 

 

We encounter understanding issues between parents and children. The parents of yesteryears are found to be complaining about their children all the time. Why? They expect them to behave, communicate, and listen like they used to in 'their' times! The missing link is a willingness to unlearn the past and relearn the new (use of social media). 

 

Learning encompasses unlearning and relearning. We must keep learning if we do not want our lives to be decayed. Eagerness to learn, unlearn and relearn makes our lives enriched with several benefits – we stay relevant, enhance our creativity and innovation abilities, feel personally fulfilled, and remain vibrant and excited.

 

We must come out of the deceiving comfort of the status quo, accept our ignorance, and be willing to embrace change by learning new things. This is an act of self-renewal. Every day allows us to learn and renew. 

 

It is all up to us. Either we resist the change, relearn and perish or energize our lives by learning something new daily.