Learn continuously, unlearn
consistently and you will learn to live.
Many of us are aware of many things. Thanks
to the internet, knowledge is on our fingertips. But this knowledge does not
necessarily lead to intelligent living. Our academic education prevents us from
growing spiritually in Life. This is why we are unable to experience and
practice awareness or mindfulness. If anything, our education is making us more
arrogant. We are beginning to imagine we are all powerful because we think we
know everything. A man who claimed he knew everything was asked by a Zen Master
how many seeds were there in an apple. The man sliced the apple, counted the
seeds and reported his findings to the Master. The Master took one seed and
placed it on the man’s hand and asked him how many apples there were in that
seed. The man fell at the Master’s feet and sought forgiveness for his
arrogance.
Just
as the man learnt humility and realized that Life’s beauty lies not in what we
know but in the unknown, we must too. True power is not in getting an academic education.
It is in the application of our knowledge to make the world a better place.
American writer and futurist, a former editor of Fortune magazine, Alvin Toffler, says this: “The illiterate of the
21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot
learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Make your choice
now: do you want to remain the overqualified and educated full-of-yourself and
illiterate person you are or do you want to learn to live by learning,
unlearning and relearning continuously?
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