My Life-Long Learning Journey

When I was in my early-twenties, I committed to the idea that education could be, and should be, much more than just childhood schooling, a few years at university, and then on the job training in a chosen career. I realised the traditional view of education is severely limited. It places heavy emphasis on measurable, practical results, often neglecting curiosity and discovery.

Curiosity, a quality that should be celebrated, often goes unnoticed or is suppressed in many modern adults. Cultures worldwide don't always encourage these values. Why? Because an excess of curiosity can lead to challenging questions and discoveries that may not fit neatly into societal norms. After all, why be curious when your culture already has the answers? 

For me, it all began with a single book, a title that had been languishing on my laptop for a couple of years – I wasn't much of a reader at the time. The moment I finally decided to check it out, my perspective on life took a remarkable turn. The book was "The Power of Now," and its seemingly vague yet profoundly powerful ideas resonated with me in ways I couldn't have anticipated.

While I feel I've now outgrown this book as it's approach to spirituality is too simplistic. I still believe it's one of the best starting books out there for people who are just getting into this area of self-development, growth, spirituality, etc.

After reading this book and then moving to Asia soon afterwards, I began falling head first down the rabbit hole of self-development material. A vision was sparked within me. I began to realise how much I previously thought I knew was actually wrong and how far I had to go if I genuinely wanted to understand the way things worked from a big picture perspective. I saw the potential and importance of life-long learning, and how a consistent dedication to broadening my understanding of myself and the world would lead to a gradual but powerful personal transformation.

Over the past decade, I've deliberately structured my life to create the time and space for something that might sound a bit unconventional: the pursuit of a comprehensive understanding of, well, everything! It might sound a little eccentric, but I genuinely believe that carving out this time is not only essential for personal growth but also crucial for making meaningful contributions to our world.

What is Life-Long Learning?

Let me dive deeper into what I mean by lifelong learning so you can decide if it resonates with you:

• Lifelong learning isn't solely about acquiring skills for career success (although that's certainly a part of it). It's about nurturing a deep fascination with the intricacies of life itself and embarking on a journey to gain a comprehensive understanding of it.

• Lifelong learning is expansive. It's not about fixating on a single narrow domain but rather exploring a wide array of fields. You dip into various sources and perspectives, and this diverse approach enables you to weave connections between them, leading to a richer, more holistic understanding through the interplay of ideas. In my experience, I've discovered that most perspectives hold valuable nuggets of truth or wisdom that you can incorporate into your overarching worldview.

• Stay open-minded and remember that there's a lot you don't know yet. If you're too hasty in dismissing certain areas or perspectives as unworthy of your time, you might unintentionally narrow your opportunities for understanding. You could even miss out on ideas that could have propelled your personal growth and deepened your grasp of the world, all because you didn't give them a fair shot.

• However, it's equally crucial to maintain a healthy dose of scepticism to avoid getting lost in the labyrinth of ideology. The internet, being a primary source for self-education, is notorious for hosting a lot of nonsense. While you're free to explore a wide array of ideas, it's essential to stay vigilant and not fully embrace them without question. Keep an eye out for those moments when certain ideas become tightly woven into your identity, or when you find yourself reacting defensively when they're challenged. These reactions might be signs of an unhealthy attachment. Always bear in mind that truth often reveals itself through direct experience; everything else remains theoretical.

• Self-understanding is the most overlooked, but also the most important aspect of the education process. As you commit to lifelong learning, you're essentially embarking on a quest to unravel the mysteries of yourself and your role in the grand scheme of the universe. It's astonishing how many cultures fail to emphasize the value of self-discovery. Here's the thing: Your entire experience of reality comes from yourself, not outside yourself. Ignoring this facet of your education could, in essence, set you up for a shortfall in terms of your overall understanding and life satisfaction.

• Learning will be embodied over time. This is probably the most important point of all. A huge misunderstanding is that people generally tend to think of learning as an intellectual pursuit, and to some extent it is, but what this fails to acknowledge is the practical consequences of big-picture understanding. As your worldview develops and becomes more intricate, an inner transformation takes place. You'll find yourself beginning to relate to the world in a completely different way. This is the essence of growth. People who grow the most are the ones who are educating themselves through both study and experience. And so, taking this project of life-long learning on is the equivalent of planting a seed, tending to it every day, and watching how it blossoms over the years. Now, I won't sugar-coat it; this growth isn't always smooth sailing, and it might not feel positive in the short term. However, rest assured, it happens at a much faster rate for those who embark on this path.

Life-Long Learning is Challenging  

With all this said, committing yourself to life-long learning is not an easy task. It takes a lot of work to begin to investigate the complex web of beliefs, ideas, and perspectives which you refer to as reality. It's also a long-term pursuit which probably won't reward your hard work in the short term - this is why I describe it as a 'commitment'. The joys that come out of an extensive understanding are subtle and take a long time to manifest in your day to day life. You need to be prepared for this and enjoy the process of slowly becoming more intelligent every day. If you dedicate yourself over the long-term you may also find that you begin to experience a sense of isolation from culture, society, and even other people. This is because you're literally outgrowing these things, not in some type of moral superiority, but in your lack of ignorance. This can be painful and difficult to adjust to. So be prepared. 

If you're inspired to kickstart your self-education journey but don't know where to begin, I've got some recommendations for you. First, consider subscribing to my newsletter. In the future, I'll be diving into fascinating topics on my website, especially in the realms of psychology and self-development. And if the whole concept of lifelong learning is entirely new to you, start by exploring self-help books that align with your interests. Now, I'll admit, the self-help industry has its fair share of issues; it can be filled with toxic, scam-prone, profit-focused, and overly simplistic content. But fear not! There are some gems hidden amidst the noise—books that can completely transform your perspective on life. These are excellent starting points.

Stay tuned because I'm also working on a resources page for my website. It'll feature recommendations for self-education materials that can guide you on this journey. So, be sure to check that out when it's available.

Ben Worrall