By Gary Dickson
Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that, aside from a few job training situations, once we complete our formal education, whether that is high school or includes college, there is no external force pushing us to keep learning new material? It is up to each of us from that point on. Some people choose to never read another complete book or to take another educational class as long as they live, while others choose to embrace the concept known as lifelong learning.
Essentially, it boils down to whether or not an individual is self-motivated to learn. Everyone has options concerning what to do with their free time as an adult. I think one of the key elements people face concerning whether or not to use their leisure time for learning or for other activities is in deciding if the pursuit of more knowledge is of greater benefit to them than doing whatever else it is they spend their time doing.
Even if expanding one”s knowledge will not be perceived as something that will help with their career, there are numerous benefits to lifelong learning. In her book “Making the Most of Your After-50 Years,” Nancy Merz Nordstrom provides a top 10 list of why continuing to learn throughout life can be advantageous for everyone.
One thing I need to clarify is that by learning I don”t just mean reading. Learning is accomplished in many ways. Trying an activity that you have never attempted before is one. Lifelong learning can help a person discover and develop their natural abilities. Not everyone is as fortunate as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy when it comes to the early development of a skill. Both Woods and Mcllroy were given plastic golf clubs to swing as toddlers. The rest is history. Perhaps there is something that you are a natural at, but you haven”t tried it yet.
Another benefit that Nordstrom placed high on her top 10 is that lifelong learning helps a person increase their level of wisdom. This makes me think of something that late comedian Richard Pryor used to say in one of his skits. I don”t recall his exact words, but the message was that you don”t grow old by being a fool. Often, the people who thrive in their later years are those who have accumulated a lifetime of knowledge into a stockpile of wisdom that allows them to navigate through the tribulations of life.
While there are people who don”t aggressively seek lifelong learning opportunities, almost everyone participates in lifelong learning to some extent. I have never met anyone who completely shut down their learning receptors after graduation. Occasional changes in daily life, like new technology, force us to learn new skills. But, the people who push themselves to keep learning on a regular basis are the ones who experience the process of opening their mind and attain a higher level of enlightenment.
In 1943 Abraham Maslow published his famous hierarchy of needs theory that is generally shown in the form of a pyramid. He listed five categories of need: physiological, safety, social, self-esteem and self-actualization. He believed that a person was not motivated to seek the next higher need until the more basic need had been met. For example, until a person has food and water they are not going to be overly concerned about the type of shelter they have.
The reason I mention the hierarchy of needs is because no one is going to reach the top of the pyramid, self-actualization, which is the achievement of individual potential, without being involved in a quest for lifelong learning.
It”s easy to get started on the path to lifelong learning. To begin just make a list of the things you would like to know more about and the activities you would like to try. After that start reading, watching, doing and checking items off your list.
Gary Dickson is the publisher of the Record-Bee. Call him at 263-5636, ext. 24. E-mail him at gdickson@record-bee.com.
