43: Unlearn what you know, to learn something new…

A happy life is one spent learning, earning, and yearning. One should learn to enjoy every moment of his life as success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.

Learning is a life-long process. Everyone goes on learning throughout his life and it’s a non-ending process as there is no age bar for studying and learning anything which is not in your knowledge or a new one to you. A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning. Change is happening every moment in nature and also among the
creatures is the end result of all true learning.

I recall the incident when I visited OSD to VC in my retiring year when he proposed I join Mass Communication PG in view of my interest in writing, to further improve my writing skills or join journalism. Really, I feel proud now of those moments when I filled up the form and got recognition as a writer. Everyone is surprised when I share, they feel inspired.

Frankly speaking, we should never become so much of an expert that we stop gaining expertise. One should view life as a continuous learning experience. Among all other learnings, we should learn to get in touch with the silence within us and know that everything in life has a purpose. Learning is always the beginning of wealth, health, spirituality, and becoming a mentor to others.

The other day a very senior doctor, now a day settled in Dubai, visited my place. Over discussions on a number of topics – learning, forming policy, diplomacy, and politics and ultimately it ended with the implementation factor which is one of the most important issues, is lacking in our system.

Despite more than one lac deaths on roads in India every year, we are not serious about giving the proper training to the drivers before issuing a driving license. No classes or written tests or a briefing about the pros and cons of poor driving on the highways. For instance, he shared that traffic rules and driving are tougher in any other country in the world as compared to India. I know there was a time when getting a driving license in India was so easy, say, by handing over the date of birth certificate, address proof, and three photographs, and you get a regular driving license in just forty days.

But Richard Branson’s words befit well here that you don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and by falling over. The doctor’s further sharing was surprising for me and it could be for you also when he said, that getting the driver’s license there in the Gulf country was so difficult that one has to pass the written as well as the practice tests after attending a few classes. The first thing on the first day an expert starts with – Well gentlemen, before we start the process of giving you the driving license to drive – where driving is right-handed – you have to unlearn to learn something new.

What an idea…!