What have you learned recently?
What new facts, statistics, truths, information and other proofs of concept have you assimilated and added to your own library of knowledge?
Allow me a question – what is learning really about?
Knowledge?
Is it voracious reading? It once was.
Is it endless memorization? It once was.
Is it filling up your brain with facts, statistics, truths, information and other proofs of concept? It once was….
Listen:
Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. “
Malcolm Forbes
Where once we were rigid in our definition of education and where once the path to learning was clear in that it was mapped down to the last half mile – the problem today isn’t getting lost – the real issue is missing all of the alternate routes and maybe even worse, all of the alternate destinations.
And let me be clear – the issue isn’t digital vs. analog – far from it. Getting bogged down with a closed and cluttered mind is actually more of a problem today than it ever was. It’s way harder to determine source credibility, accuracy of reporting and citation…way harder to separate the great from the mediocre…way easier to fill up on great-tasting but empty, mind-filling calories than to suffer hunger rumbles because you leave space for more.
Knowledge has become a metric, and like all metrics it’s merely a measurement – wisdom should be your end goal – it’s what you do with it that really counts.
It’s harder than ever to keep an open mind – harder than ever to buck the crowd – but that should be our purpose – our goal – the endgame isn’t what you know, it’s how much more you are ready to learn.
What’s your view?
David
You raise some interesting points here. It reminded me of a blog post that I wrote a while back about how the internet is fundamentally changing the way we consume information (and even how our brains work).
http://www.b1.com/blog/2010/09/16/creating-content-for-pancake-people
Enjoy!
To me, learning affords one the CONTEXT with which to asses all of the information that comes at us each day. Knowing the how, why where, etc let’s us understand better what is around us. And to your point of an open mind, I find that the more I learn, the greater the understanding, the more open my mind becomes.
David: To have a leader with your passion for knowledge and wisdom is to be cherished by all of us. I think it all begins with curiosity and an inquiring mind. There are so many sources at Y&R where original data, ideas and information live. It is up to us all to question and search for new answers to the same questions Thank you for keeping the real traditions of Y&R alive best Ed
They say that the first step to solving a problem is to understand the cause. I guess the first step to learning is to realise you need to.
You know what I have realized is that, though you are told to think different and be open, you are eventually told to contain yourself within the dimensions of the big box, seems of which mayn’t be visible at that point of time, but they exist.
Because if we actually lived our each day as Malcolm Forbes said, then we all would’ve been rich with newer discoveries, solutions to problems, in totality; a fuller life each day!Don’t you think so?
amen!
After just returning from two weeks in Egypt, what have I learned? A lot. Especially that the sign of an extraordinary trip is when you come back with more questions than answers.
and there you have it — more questions means an open mind!!