Lifelong Learning (and why the journey never ends)

I went to my favourite wine bars last Saturday with my partner, and I remembered feeling a bit dissatisfied with where I was in life. 

It doesn’t make any sense. I was sitting at my favourite spot overlooking Chapel Street, sharing a drink with my favourite person. Everything is as good as it could be: I earn a full-time income from teaching what I love, I write for a living, and I have a book coming out next year.

Yet, when I looked through my journal over a drink, I realised that though circumstances have changed, how I felt about everything hasn’t changed a bit. It was as if everything I desperately wanted had disappeared into my life, and I’m right back to where I started.    

How many times have you felt this?

It happens when you buy crap from Amazon. You fantasise about a new life with the new thing you just ordered, but once it turns up at your door, it’ll simply disappear into your life.

It happens when we achieve a milestone at work. What was once the promise of happy-ever-after just fades into the hums of the elevator as we make our way to the office.

It can also happen along our lifelong learning journeys. What looked like untouchable books and topics are now just a part of how we think about life. Lofty philosophy has turned into everyday perception.

It’s a little painful to acknowledge this fact of life, but this is not something to cry about. In fact, I think it should be embraced and welcomed.

When I realised that the objects I buy will just disappear into my life, I started buying things that are truly useful and durable for years to come.

When I saw that grand goals are not the gateways to Nirvana, I started adopting a consistent, steadfast work pace to make sure that every day is a great day. 

And this insight holds the most weight in our lifelong learning journeys.

When we go through school, we assume that education is something we will complete after K-12, after university, after a master’s, or after a PhD. But, if we’re honest, there is no end to education. What we’ve learned will simply disappear into our lives, and we’ll always crave a new way of seeing the world.

For example, lately I’ve been seeking out new challenges in my reading life. After finishing The Brothers Karamazov, I reminisced about those days when I was reading literary theory for my thesis. Yes, I was confused, but there was something sweet about struggling through a difficult idea. I wanted to be an idiot who sees old concepts in a new light.

Meanwhile, I have to keep in mind that one day, even the most difficult books will disappear into my life. There will always be a new mountain to climb, and the path of learning will never end. And the magic happens when we look back at the years we’ve lived, realising that though we

‘cannot remember the books [we]'ve read any more than the meals [we]'ve eaten; even so, they have made [us].’ – Misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson