The Importance of Learning to Unlearn and Relearn!

When was the last time you heard or read  phrases like “I am a lifelong learner.” or “I’m curious to know and learn about new things and places?” Not so long ago. Right?  We live in an era where we have so much data and information to consume. One thing that most of us have learned for sure is, googling critical and trivial questions and get millions of results in milliseconds (make that seconds if your internet connection is okayish). What if I say that the most important thing to learn is to unlearn? Interesting, isn’t it? While it may sound philosophical, However, the importance of learning to unlearn and re-learn is immense in practical life. Let us know more about it.

Why Learn to Unlearn?

Each of us is conditioned to behave in a certain way; the first two decades of our lives are almost entirely dedicated to learning. We learn good things like saying “thank you” and “please” and also develop bad habits like procrastination along the way. The story you hear as kids becomes a truth by the time you grow up. Congratulations. You are now a walking hard drive filled with countless biases, half-truths, and myths. Interestingly you not only store these but unconsciously believe them to be the eternal truth.

Let us revisit some common myths:

• teachers are the best source of knowledge;
• elders are always correct, and we shouldn’t question their wisdom (let’s include bosses in this list too);
• spending hours in the office is hard work;
• people who break societal norms are a terrible influence, and the list goes on.

We become so obsessed with whatever we have been taught or experienced that it becomes our identity, although a false one. The best way to move forward is to take one step ahead, and to do that, you must leave the ground you are currently standing. In simple words, “Let go.”

Unlearning Declutters Your Mind

Alvin Toffler rightly predicted, “The illiterate of the future is not those who can’t read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and re-learn.” It is so true and fascinating; the world around us is changing rapidly. The technology, lifestyle that existed twenty years ago is nowhere to be seen. Not so long ago, Post offices were considered a happening place; I remember standing in a long queue just to get few stamps or send a post. Now you can talk to anyone on earth with a button click; post offices are obsolete. Look around, and you will see so many examples. Whatever you read or learned in school books is probably wiped off from your minds, unless you are a teacher, of course. Ironical, your kids are still reading the same things in their schools; nobody cares if the teaching method and content are relevant in the current world.

Unlearning is the only way to learn new things. Just like when you want to install that fancy new app or game and your phone memory is full. The only way is to get rid of apps that are no longer is in use. Similarly, the biases and myths in your head, the old habits that serve no purpose acting as speed breakers in your life journey, need to go. Remember Less is More!

“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”

Lao Tzu: Ancient Chinese philosopher and writer

How Can You Unlearn?

The very first requirement is to be open-minded and accept that you can be wrong. Trust me, it is the most difficult thing to do. The following points can also help

• Stay curious – For learning and unlearning, you need to be curious, cultivate this excellent habit.
• Move out of comfort zone – It can be the location where you have lived for ages, and it is, or the job you have mastered so well that it’s a piece of cake and doesn’t challenge you.
• Travel more often – You learn a lot by traveling and meeting new people. This learning can also be unlearning because you realize the preconceived notions you had were idiotic. When you get to experience a different culture, you automatically start challenging your belief system
• Befriend your critics – When we are surrounded by like-minded people, we only make our biases strong, as we are not questioned. It is sort of a comfort zone. Working with people of different ideologies and mindsets can help break your biases.
• Don’t limit yourself – Your so-called understanding of yourself can be self-limiting and stop us from doing something new or challenging.  Get rid of this self-limiting mindset.

Our Society defines growth as adding more to something, not reducing or getting rid of something unwanted. Hence it is no wonder that only a few talk about unlearning. This brings us to our last stop of the process – Re-learning.

What About Re-Learning?

A valid question could be –  If I have to get rid of things I learned so far. Why should I re-learn? Re-learning is all about getting fresh perspectives. Suppose you had some half-baked idea or philosophy in your head, and now you know that it is not the complete truth. In that case, you can feed your brain with more accurate and logical knowledge and create your own piece of wisdom.

One of the most common myths in our country is not doing specific things on a particular day. Reasons and logic range from superstition, religious or simply cultural. For example, not cutting your hair or eating eggs on Tuesday (It’s so deep-rooted that I’m guilty of following them). Another one is you shouldn’t cut your nails after sunset; it brings a bad omen. This one is easy to crack; the wisdom must come from decades ago. When there was no electricity, and chances of hurting yourself while cutting nails in the dark were super high. It must have made perfect logic in those times. But today, when we have a 24/7 supply of electricity, it is entirely safe to cut your nails at night. So this is a small habit or myth I’ve successfully left behind. What about you, Have your tried challenging your thoughts yet? Do share your thoughts and any interesting examples.

If you have read my write-ups, you can notice one change. Can you guess what?  (Hint – Pictures says a thousand words)

Tags: biasesfocushabitshuman psychologylearninglifeLife lessonsmeaningful lifeminimalismproductivitypsychologyunlearn