Life is a great teacher and we will remain students (good or bad) as long as we live. Such a simple concept but so true and profound! Children are such a revelation. Like me, most parents will agree that bringing up a child is a wonderful learning opportunity. So when I recently met an old friend who excitedly rattled off his experiences with his little one, I was inundated with thoughts.
Curious as kids are, they are always so willing and excited to learn. They never shy away from popping a question. There is a ‘why’ or a ‘how’ for just about everything. Sometimes even at an inopportune time. He spoke of how most of his time these days is spent answering these zillion questions. In the process of answering her questions, he too learnt of so many new things. I could relate to every bit of what he was sharing.
As a father of two, I was always amazed to see how much children learn from the time they are infants – no two days are ever the same. Every day is a new lesson in life. Kids have no conditioning and are so adaptable – all they want is information and don’t relent till their eagerness is put to rest. Though young, they demonstrate the maturity to forget & forgive not so pleasant experiences of the past and carry on with their learning pursuit.
As adults we carry the entire baggage with us which sometimes become unbearable! Where does this curious child in each of us go when we grow up? Why did we unlearn this habit of learning? I believe that learning is for life and all of us ought to be learners through our lives. In fact, if someone asks me to describe myself, I say I am a learner who has so much to explore in so little time. Though there are times when I behave like a bad student by measuring and comparing new perspectives/ changes with the same old lens ( past experiences are so difficult to give up ! ) and at times miss on brilliant opportunities to enjoy small things in life.
I am learning and trying to improve every minute! Life is a great teacher. In order to teach you it does not differentiate between the means adopted. Some may appear quite harsh but once we pass through the tunnel and come out on the other side, we ourselves feel amazed at the changes brought about in us by simply walking along that tough path. Life is like a book with inexhaustible chapters. The day you stop learning, you stop living. The kind of things you learn change with time and age but your surroundings and the people you interact with continue to form a major source of your learning.
It is the same way as it is for kids, who pick up information and behaviour from people around them, and mould their own. The challenge is to be open to all sorts of learning, even from the most unexpected places or people. This happens only when you stop judging people or circumstances, instead you just observe and absorb. It is indeed wonderful the amount of learning you can amass from your environment.
It is this learning that makes you what you are and becomes your sources of strength in all times, especially when things are not sailing smooth. This is applicable to every aspect of your lives, personal or professional. As an adult in the professional world, learning may be handed to you in a structured training format, but you also have to be open to learning from your colleagues, whether they have more or less experience than you.
There is a time in everyone’s life when you have to take tough decisions; it may be even regarding your career. For example, the decision to choose a high paying job over, say, an opportunity to start up on your own, is never an easy one. It is only your experience, through years of learning, which can truly guide you to arrive at the right decision. It is also learning that will help you adapt to the changing dynamics of the world around you. They say child is the father of man.
There is so much you can learn from children – the art of learning is just one of them. So, keep the child within you active through your lives, and learn as much as you possibly can. It is something that will stand by you, even when nothing else does. Throw a child up in the air, he is laughing all the way as he is absolutely confident that you will catch him. It’s fun for them. Do we have the faith / confidence that there is someone who will take care of us whatever be the situation and is only prompting us to take the plunge smilingly?
Happy learning!