The Regret
All learning fills a void where ignorance once occupied. Perhaps a less off-putting word may be “unknowing,” but we must accept the harsh light of reality.
When you have a little length in the tooth, there can be a tendency to feel bad you remained ignorant of particular information for so long. Of course, you are in good company. The salt and pepper-haired crowd often say, “All I have learned since turning 50 is how much I don’t know.”
I am not talking about the Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze song lyrics you misinterpreted “Excuse me while I kiss this guy (the sky).” I am speaking of the wisdom we believe only comes with age. Old timers are fond of telling youngsters the life lessons gained over many years – family is more important than work; we cared too much about what others think; etc.
While the deepest and sincerest appreciation of these lessons may come with age, learning them through the mere passage of many years was most likely a default educational option. We simply failed to invest the time and energy to learn them earlier.
My wet behind the ears readers possessing the hubris of youth (that I once had) should take heed. Your current knowledge can be a stumbling block to your education. “It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows,” Epictetus, the Stoic. The experience of your elders should serve as a cautionary tale. Those, who thought they already knew, learned much in their later years that they could have learned much earlier.
Of course, delinquent awareness is superior to perpetual unawareness. The knowledge acquired is worth the price of a bruised ego. The pang of regret is replaced by the elation that comes from finally possessing the knowledge – similar to the feeling that comes with finding $20 in your pants pocket.
One should not burden learning by placing upon it some monumental objective like obtaining a Ph.D. or writing a novel in a foreign language. Learning will most likely be undertaken if it is compatible with your intellectual curiosity. It may take the form of a new skill like playing the guitar or learning about World War II even if you will never play in a band or teach a history course.
The Opportunity
Do not be overly concerned about the subject matter as instruction in one area inevitably finds application in other disciplines. Playing the guitar improves your grammar and thirty other things. Studying World War II enhances your knowledge of geography, current foreign policy, and possibly cattle feeding.
There is a bottomless treasure trove of knowledge not buried in a mine but lying in the open and ready for the taking. Rather than being disappointed with your past ignorance, treat each learning as a gift and be inspired to seek more. Rather than being frustrated you will never learn it all, be invigorated that you will never run out of things to learn.
Start by satisfying the curiosity you have held too long and not acted upon. It is that thing you always wished you knew or did. Don’t have one of those? Pursue something and you are certain to find some completely unexpected reward in the learning. Of course, you simply may enjoy the educational journey.
Whatever you want, however you want, just learn. We can draw upon the simple wisdom of five-time Tour de France cycling champion, Eddy Merckx, “Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had the same “never enough” attitude for learning as we do for money or Facebook likes? What might we accomplish and what impact might we make?
