FIRST LOOK AT YOURSELF

“Monkey never see his own tail.”

 This interesting statement is a long established part of the West Indian Islands Folklore. It is a basic comment on human behavior and refers specifically to the general tendency of people who are quick to point out other people’s faults, without any regard to their own baggage.

                                                                                                      

Most people are reluctant to search out their own faults. Both subjectively and objectively, they prefer to search out possible faults in everyone around them instead. They do this subconsciously mainly as a way of trying to protect themselves against potential attacks from others. Few people are either concerned about, nor are they even prepared to admit their own faults, preferring instead to lay blame on external factors. This is not only a very basic human failing but also is interestingly deeply embedded throughout the animal kingdom.

Some anthropologists have strongly argued that this very clearly seen in nature by the fact that our eyes are set in our heads in such a way that we can see the faults in others far better than we can see in ourselves. We were predestined to do so since it is impossible to turn our gaze inwards without use of reflecting assistance. Psychologists have explained that this approach is the only way we have to deal with our own internal insecurities. We try to find some relief by believing the argument that if others around us have faults then somehow we do not. We readily find justification in the argument that: “since they are wrong then we must be right.”

                                                                                                      

Presently there is more than enough fault-finding in this world. At all levels of society and in countless ways, people seem determined to do little else. Nothing seems to please them as much as decrying other people at home, at work and in everything they do. They fault what others may believe in and how they chose to live. It is therefore no surprise to find that so much misunderstanding and animosity existing in the world presently, with much of this leading to such catastrophic consequences. How can the world ever be at peace when people are rejected for any variation they may exhibit from the current “norm” in appearance, in choice, in belief or in behavior?

 There is an old Arab fable that is often repeated to illustrate this misunderstanding and lack of appreciation of this truth;

 An old donkey belonging to a poor farmer found its way into the King’s stable where it wandered around before it was chased out. When he got back, the farmer asked him if it was true that the palace was full of wonderful things like gold, fine furniture and good food. The donkey surprisingly replied that was not true, all he saw was stables, dirt and hay, no different from his own stable.

This, in fact, is the way that people view one another. They see only the flaws and the negatives around them, and never make the effort to search for the good things just beyond their view.

It is this distorted perception that is the root cause of so much misunderstanding, misinterpretation and lack of trust that exists today. So long as we insist on viewing everything through tinted lens then we invariably assume the whole world must be tinted. Because of this we refuse to acknowledge when we are told that everything within our view appears different. Since we reject their explanation, we must conclude that they are wrong and therefore by inference, we must be right. This is why it becomes so difficult to persuade people that their perception may be compromised, until they are able to recognize the fundamental cause of the distortion. As the quotation implies, until the Monkey actually examines his own tail, he will never believe that the fault lies there.

The real truth is that most of the time the faults which we see in others, and are quick to criticize, are the very same ones which are present in us and we try hard to suppress or deny. This is why we need to question ourselves carefully before passing judgment on others. It is so important to recognize that before committing ourselves we must first examine ourselves with a clear lens. We must determine that our view is not distorted by tinted lenses and if they are, then we must remove them before viewing others. Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian leader and guru made this clear when he declared:

“I look only to the good qualities in men. Not being faultless, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”

But there are some people who insist on looking at others only for the faults they can find. They visit only the stable and they insist on seeing only the dirt and hay, and make no effort to go further into the castle to see all the beauty and riches. They never look for the goodness and kindness in others but seek out the flaws and the blemishes in them. They are present in every society and are the ones who cause such unnecessary harm, disharmony and suffering wherever they go. Og Mandino, the great American author whose book, The Greatest Salesman in the World, has sold more than 50 million copies so far, was in fact describing this situation when he observed that:

“Nothing is easier than fault-finding. All it would do is to discolor my personality so that no one will associate with me.”

          He implied that when we continue to see faults in others, we miss the opportunity to see the beauty and goodness all around us. And when we chose to look for the good things in people we are less likely to see evil in everything. Alternatively if we never look for the good in others we will have no difficulty in finding the faults. It is this mental habit of judging others that is the root cause of the insecurities, and it is this action that needs to be corrected. Only then can we really enjoy the joys and satisfaction of the true life meant for us. Only then can we truly be ourselves and do what is necessary to get the best we can out of life.

Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount firmly and deliberately drew attention to this type of behavior and warned us of the consequences of such action in Matthew 7:1-5:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
 For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
 You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

It will do us all well to take heed of this advice and take steps to correct ourselves with regards to our views of our neighbors. The rewards we receive will be meaningful and tangible to ourselves and to our relationships, both in the present and in the hereafter. As the Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces that conquered the mighty German army in WW11 and subsequently elected the 34^th President of the US, so effectively advised:

“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal your faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed.”

-No better advice than this is available!

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THE FABRIC OF LIFE

“Life is a network of invisible threads.”

                                                                   

      The above quotation from the pen of the great Victorian-era English authoress George Eliot is as dramatic as it is simple. Life, is indeed a complex fabric made up of all the threads of each of life’s experiences, its successes and its failures, its happy moments and its sad moments, collected during a whole lifetime.

Life begins as a plain cloth made up of the many characteristics  inherited from our parents. It is pure, clean and unadulterated. As we go through life we begin to add threads derived from all the knowledge, experiences, encounters, failures and successes, and influences we acquired along the way, resulting in a mosaic of such unique and exquisite complexity and specificity. Sherrilyn Kenyon, the internationally recognized American author and poet explained this quite succinctly when she noted:

“Life is a tapestry woven from the decisions we make.”

A cursory look at this mosaic will reveal an apparent accumulation of unrelated threads which appear to have been woven together in a random pattern, with no regard to sequence or order. Many people will try to convince you that your life is merely the sum total of all your experiences piled up one upon the other, like a layered cake, purely by chance and without any reason or meaning. I totally reject this analogy. To me, every single thread, as it weaves itself into the mosaic, affects and is affected, by every other thread it encounters. Over its lifetime it is modified by, and it modifies the appearance and texture of the fabric, changing its color, appearance, feel and outlook. And as it does, so also, it affects our attitudes, our expectations, our hopes and our desires. 

Indeed we are the product of what we are made up, and our behavior is determined by this. Lea Yekutiel noted Inspirational speaker and author, extended this concept by observing that:

“The fabric of life, with all the threads interacting together can be quite positive, but if one thread negatively vibrates against another thread or is angry because another thread is “in a better place” or “looks better”, the feelings are passed through the whole cloth and is absorbed and experienced by all.”

Wayne Dyer, one of America’s most successful inspirational speakers, who died a few years ago, was more direct in describing the effects of the different influences in causing him to be who he really is. He explained this in the following manner:

“As I look back at the entire tapestry of my life, I can see from the perspective of the present moment that every aspect of my life was necessary and perfect.  Each step eventually led to a higher place, even though these steps often felt like obstacles or painful experiences.” 

                                                                                           …

      By natural extension, this principle applies not only to each one of us as individuals, but to us as a group, as a society, as a nation and to the world. In a very meaningful way each one of us can and do impact the rest of the world by our actions, positively or negatively. In this context, I am reminded of the concept of “the butterfly effect theory” first postulated in 1963 by the American meteorologist Edward Lorentz with his famous quotation:

 “The Fluttering of a Butterfly’s wings can affect climate changes on the other side of the planet”

In the same way that a small insignificant butterfly, by flapping its wings, can affect the climate thousands of miles away, so too can the movement of a single thread affect the fabric of the whole environment around it. We need only to look around us to see repeated examples of this in our day to day living.

     

In my own personal life, I have witnessed, like, no doubt, every one else, many instances where a random encounter has led, directly or indirectly, to significant life-changing events for which I am truly grateful. Very often these effects appeared several years after the initial encounter and in ways that could not have been anticipated or predicted. I am indeed the product of all my encounters. I still recall an incident when I was no more than 5-6 years old and was taken to see Dr. Pau, a kind Chinese physician, for my inflamed leg. His gentle spirit and caring way made me resolve that I too, would like to be a physician. Some 20 years later, l recalled that moment, as I received my Graduation certificate and was grateful for that original encounter.

Several years ago, I came across a very intriguing quotation by the Austrian-born Swiss author and poet, Ranier Maria Rilke who is recognized world wide, for her quality and intensity of work. It read:

“Destiny itself is like a wonderful, wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an unspeakably tender hand, placed beside another thread and held and carried by a hundred others.”

This indeed should be a true guide for every one of us to live by. For as I see it, this Fabric of our life is uniquely our own, to do with it as we wish. We can choose to abuse it, without respect or regard, and then suffer the consequences of pain, regret and eternal damnation. Or to nurture and support it, to respect it and expand it, and in return, enjoy the rewards that will inevitably come as we journey along on the road of life; and even beyond.

Pericles, the outstanding Greek statesman and orator, who lived around 400BC, has described the ultimate fate of our life’s tapestry most eloquently in the following manner:

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the Lives of others.”

-Nothing else needs to be said!

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CHOOSING WHEN TO ACT

 “Don't make promises when you are in joy.

Don't reply when you are sad.

Don't make decisions when you are angry.

Think twice before you act.”

                                          

One of the most common shortcomings of human beings all over the world is the inconsistency of their responses. In their haste to please others, or their zeal to safeguard themselves and secure good feelings, they tend to arrive at decisions without due regard to the prevailing circumstances, and then risk having to regret them later. Too often they respond impulsively without considering the results or the likely consequences, only to falter, fall and then be sorry for their actions.

        

The above observation, by an Author who is unknown, speaks clearly and precisely to this and offers advice that has indeed stood the test of time. It makes good sense to avoid responding or reacting impulsively whenever we are under the influence of any kind of emotional pressure. Because when we do so, we open ourselves to making mistakes. Our decisions are likely to be more impulsive than reasoned, and our response more reactive, rather than considered. In every aspect of our life, if we are not careful we are exposed to countless opportunities to react, to become angry, or to do and say things which may come back to hurt us later. And when we allow this to take place we are in effect giving up our inner control and allowing external forces to influence us. This could never be productive under any circumstances.

Napoleon Hill, one of America’s most successful self-help authors and public speakers, spoke extensively on this subject. He cautioned the need to always think carefully to avoid any possibility of being misunderstood. He went further when he advised:

   “Think twice before you speak because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or of failure in the mind of another.”

This advice is especially relevant in today’s society with its increasing modern technical advances, where events are changing with such rapidity that the temptation to act without thinking is so great. With the increasing sophistication in communication and the ease with which news can be disseminated, people can easily fall victim to making decisions and reacting impulsively without due deliberation. This undoubtedly is a sure recipe for failure, and then regretting that so commonly happens. Bob Dylan, one of the foremost exponents of American folk lore, music and song, effectively summarized this dilemma in the following words:

“People seldom do what they believe in.

 They just do what is convenient; and they

 then regret it.”

Far too often, we have seen incidents of decisions taken and actions carried out only to find later a wrong was committed and one is left with either regretting the mistakes or finding excuses to justify them. Hence the advice to think twice before acting is so important. By doing so we reduce the chance of inappropriate responses and as a result, we avoid a great deal of unnecessary pain and disappointment.

Most of the time, we are motivated to action by the fear of missing out on an opportunity to achieve, or that by not acting quickly, we feel we may be left behind. This to me, reflects the psychological attitude of an immature and unfulfilled mind searching for support, wanting to do anything to stay with the crowd; A type of response that surely guarantees you becoming the victim every time. Indeed, this is the secret weapon of all the successful “con artists”, pressure salesmen and some politicians who have caused severe social havoc on an unsuspecting, trusting public.

In years gone by, in the early centuries, especially during the Greco-Roman  era, people associated fate, success, status and wealth of an individual as a special gift from the Gods responsible for people’s behavior. The Romans turned to the Goddess Fortuna and the Greeks favored their Goddess, Tyche. They were prepared to accept the outcome of interactions as the work of their God who favored some and rejected others. Guilt and disappointment was therefore not considered a major consequence. But with the advent of the Judeo-Christian religions, the concept of each person possessing a free will to choose for himself, naturally led to the general acceptance that the individual controls his own destiny by what they did or said. This meant that the individual was held responsible for his action and could not lay blame at the feet of a God.

In fact, there is still a school of thought that does not accept the concept of action only after deliberate rationalization. These are the Spontaneous Reactors, who are convinced that the right approach to achieve maximum success is that when the opportunity presents itself, you must stop thinking and act at once. They believe that they can trust their instincts to do the right thing. They insist that there is ample evidence throughout the ages of great leaders, entrepreneurs, inventors and businessmen who have achieved great heights in this way. They reason that if you stop to think before you act then the opportunity will be lost.

 But this kind of thinking will invariably prove to be misguided and unlikely to bear fruit in the long run. Warren Buffett, one of the richest and most successful investors the world has ever seen, is a good example of a person whose actions appear on the surface to be dramatic and occasionally precipitous, but in fact, this belies a careful, meticulous action that continues until a decision is made and action taken. His famous remark when asked the secret of success is always:

“You do not need to be a genius, but you need to take the time to understand what you are doing.”

    There is no doubt that wisdom comes only from experience and most of our experience will teach us to avoid those things we may have been able to avoid in the first place. It is not necessary to make mistakes to learn from them, but if one takes time to stop and deliberate over the situation, one’s past experience will help to find the answers and avoid making mistakes. You do not need to be told that you cannot jump out of a plane without a parachute and in the same way you must not jump into any conclusion without the appropriate safety gear. Ernest Hemingway, the great American Nobel Laureate summarized this situation very effectively when he advised:

Before you act, listen. Before you read, think.

Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait.

Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try!”

-We will all do very well to always remember this, whenever we have to make decisions.

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FOLLOW YOUR INNER VOICE

"Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive. Along with which comes the inner voice which says; 'this is the real me', and when you have found that attitude, then follow it."

                                                                                        

This quotation by William James, the great American Physician, Psychologist and Philosopher, considered by many to be the father of American Psychology, stands out like a compass pointing to correct human behavior and attitude. It is a powerful platform for individuals interested in self-awareness and self-help, and as a result, is very often incorporated in the advice and recommendations of all the great inspirational speakers.

In this simple statement, James was able to project the fundamental components that make up any successful action. The steps he recommended are clear and uncompromising and are based on a few fundamental principles. You must begin by finding something which kindles your interest and desires, then you must be sure of your willingness to commit yourself and your spirit, and when you have, then follow your mind to fulfillment.

To a very large extent, the success or failure of any individual behavior depends entirely on the strengths of the attitude, the belief and the commitment he brings to bear at the given time. We all have within us the capacity to improve our lives if we really wanted to do so, but whether we succeed or not depends entirely on if we care enough and are we willing to do what is necessary to achieve it. I am sure that we have all seen instances when people have surmounted enormous obstacles to achieve success and we stand amazed at their ability.  But the real underlying truth in all these situations lies not in luck or any special personal ability, but in the depth of commitment, the unwavering attitude and the belief in self, exhibited by the individual.

For as long as man has survived on the planet there have been instances of people rising above their perceived limitations and succeeding by dint of commitment and self-searching, and by listening to their inner voice when every one around gave up on them. People like:

 -Vincent Van Gogh, one of the world’s most successful artists, whose work was rejected by every one, yet he persisted.

     

–Albert Einstein, one of the greatest mathematicians of all time who never spoke until age 3 and was considered by his teachers to be lazy and useless in childhood.

–Helen Keller, who despite a debilitating deaf-blind affliction at age 2 years, learned to read and write and went on to obtain a college bachelor degree.

 –Beethoven, one of the most respected of the classical composers who lost his hearing early in his life, but continued on to produced immortal classics.

These are but a few of the large number of people who successfully overcame serious obstacles and achieved their dreams of glory. They followed their inner voices and listened to them as they trusted their intuition to lead them in the correct direction. All of this served to give them a strength of conviction and empowered them to go forward undaunted with belief in themselves and their ability.

Every one of us does in fact, possess the potential and ability to achieve our dream, but unfortunately because of our conditioning to avoid risk and failure, we naturally chose the path of least resistance. We end up choosing the safer option of care and trepidation and listen to the voice of fear and caution rather than accept the challenges and go forward with confidence. It is no surprise that we can only feel comfortable in this society built on conformity and the avoidance of risk-taking by suppressing our instincts. In this setting, any one who tries to alter the rules or tries to challenge them is discouraged by the rest. In fact those who try to follow their dream are criticized or frowned upon as an attempt to live differently.

The result of this effect on the majority, having been conditioned by the prevailing influences of constant negative past experiences and the need to keep within safe and risk-free waters, is that our inner voice remains buried deep in our psyche under mountains of inadequacies and insecurities. When this happens, when we lose that inner voice, we become passive followers of the prevailing influences and we are lost in the safety of the crowd, never to appreciate what our true worth is.

But this state need never exist with any one of us, if we only remember that in the end it always remains up to us individually, to do what is necessary to initiate and institute the changes needed to ‘find’ our inner voice and listen to it and be our true selves. James himself very effectively summarizes this attitude in the following way:

“Be not afraid of life.

Believe that life is worth living,             

And your belief will help create the fact.”

-No truer words have ever been said by anybody who genuinely cares!

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DARE TO LIVE LIFE

DARE TO LIVE LIFE

“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.”

This unforgettably powerful advice was given by the great American essayist and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1858 when he addressed the graduating class at Harvard University, urging them to go forward and live their dreams. It has remained a standard call that has been repeated over and over to any one who dared to live their life on their own terms.

Gen. Alexander M Haig Jnr., the American military leader and elder statesman, expressed this idea in a somewhat more decisive manner when he stated:

  “Ultimately the fundamental difference between us when we are faced with adversity lies in our willingness to dare or not to dare and for no other reason”

                                                                  

This advice in fact applies to each and every one of us and to everything that we do or do not do in our lives. It calls on each one of us to recognize it’s validity in our own way, and to what extent we are prepared to respond and to how much we are prepared to expend.

                                                                        

Almost 2000 years ago, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the great Roman philosopher and statesman, recognized this paradox and the reason why we choose different outcomes when he wrote:

“It is not because things are difficult, that we do not Dare,
it is because we do not Dare, that they are difficult.”

That statement is as valid and as relevant now as it was 2000 years ago. Every one of us can readily think of other people whose behavior or attitude toward a special occasion or event has so impressed us that we stand in awe of them. These people were not superhuman, nor were they endowed with any special gifts. They came from among us and shared our weaknesses and our strengths. The only difference is that in that very special situation and under very special conditions, they faced and dealt with adversity at a level far above their comfort levels. They dared to rise above their obstacles and live life above and beyond their normal expectations.
        

Of the very many examples that have crossed my life over the years, three have impressed me and have left indelible imprints on me, each for a different reason;

     The first is the renowned theoretical physicist Stephen William Hawking, whose contributions to the fields of quantum gravity and cosmology are hailed by the world's community of scientists. In his lifetime, he has opened up our understanding of the origin of the universe and facilitated space study, understanding and exploration.
     At the age of 21 years, while still a student at Cambridge University, England, he was diagnosed with a serious neuromuscular disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This is a uniformly fatal disease, characterized by progressive paralysis of all the body’s muscles leading to total incapacity. Yet despite progressive, relentless and incapacitating deterioration, he continued to lead an active academic life, lecturing all over the world, publishing many original and ground-breaking papers and scholarly books. Amazingly, he was able to lead a full and rewarding personal life. He is married with three children, has traveled to many countries and participated in a range of lifestyle experiences, including traveling into outer space.
   All of this was accomplished while being almost completely paralyzed and confined permanently to a wheelchair. He is able to communicate only by using a single facial muscle and a very sophisticated computer system. Despite this, he continues to combine family life with his teaching and research into theoretical physics with an extensive program of travel and public lectures.

   To meet this man is awe-inspiring, not only for the brilliance of his mind, but even much more, to witness the way he was able to overcome these gargantuan obstacles with an aura of confidence and optimism, even as he appears as a “crumpled bundle of humanity” with only a flutter of his muscle to communicate to the world. Indeed his is the story of a man who defiantly faced his obstacles, and dared to live his life to its fullest.
            

The second is someone with whom I have had a close relationship for most of my life. He is a man who, for as long as I have known him, has been an indefatigably ambitious man who has never flinched from a challenge and very rarely lost anyone of them. By dint of intense personal effort, hard work and an inexhaustible supply of optimism, he has developed a very successful enterprise and an equally enviable reputation. He has earned the highest respect from his community for his Business skills and generous philanthropy.
     Recently, as a result of a series of unfortunate accidents and some questionable medical management, he suffered a serious neck injury leading to almost complete paralysis of the upper and lower body resulting in total dependence on others and confinement to bed.

    To any other man, including myself, this would have resulted in such disappointment and antagonism as to precipitate profound anger and resentment. But in this case this did not happen. Instead we witnessed a change that was at once philosophical as it was a genuine acceptance of a “new life”. Rather than resentment, there was a genuine desire to adapt and to accommodate, and instead of anger, there was an urgent effort to learn so that he could teach others by example and experience. Here again, is a unique example of a man who refused to succumb to life-changing adversity and instead, he grabbed it with both hands and dared to live his new life to his fulfillment.

                      

     The third person’s story came to my attention following the publication of his autobiography entitled “Ghost Boy” a few years ago. It recalls the account of a young man who suffered a life shattering disease at the age of twelve years causing him to gradually lose control of his body and finally falling into a coma at age sixteen. He subsequently began to show gradual recovery of consciousness but not function, so that by age nineteen he was fully conscious, apparently totally aware of his surroundings but unable to communicate. At least this was the assumption for a long time until an alert caregiver recognized that he used his eyes to respond to her and to indicate that he understood. It was only then that corrective action was started. He was provided with a specially adapted speech computer which allowed him to communicate with others. Over the succeeding years he was able to gain further improvement in function so much so that he was able to complete his education, get married and start work. Despite this traumatic experience, this young man has shown great courage and sensitivity without any regret, and has dared to live his new life unfazed by past experiences. Catherine Deveney, an author and journalist, described this in greater detail in an article in The Scotsman Newspaper in 2011:

“His levels of empathy are remarkable, perhaps because he was forced for so many years into the role of watcher and listener, hearing people unburden their problems around him absorbing their pain without them knowing. His communication is strikingly direct, almost fearless in the way he confronts emotional reality."
        

These are but three examples of thousands that exist around us. They are individually inspiring to us as witnesses of the events and induce in us a sense of awe and disbelief, but to the individuals, they are merely natural responses to the circumstances of life.

           

         This indeed is the true test of our characters and the fundamental differences among us. It is when we are faced with adversity and we are called upon to deal with it, that our true character comes out. No one ever said life was easy or fair and none ever promised a bed of roses free from thorns, but we all have within us the ability to overcome these obstacles. The only question is whether we choose to make the effort, to dare, to face them!

           

         In this context we should recognize that this ability is by no means unique to just the few successful people but available to all. Throughout the ages, the single most consistent attribute among all who have set out to achieve and succeeded to do so, is the willingness to face difficulties and dare to overcome them at all cost. We see this every day, in every situation and it involves everybody. The only consistent ingredient necessary in every instant is the recognition that, with the right spirit and a willingness to overcome failure, any thing can be achieved. The late Robert F. Kennedy, American Senator and Attorney-General, summarized this most eloquently when he wrote:

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

                                        

-No greater advice than this can ever be given!

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LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

“All true learning is experience.

Everything else is just information.”

These words recorded by Albert Einstein, the German born, American Nobel Laureate theoretical physicist whose Theory of Relativity is considered to be one of the two pillars of modern physics (the other is Quantum Mechanics). He expressed this opinion in the 1990’s during a discussion on the role of experience in learning. The statement very effectively and definitively condenses one of the most   important principles in learning, that without the benefit of experience, learning is ineffective. This principle surprisingly is still challenged by a number of authorities who believe that learning is more strongly correlated to inborn, genetic characteristics, than it is to appropriate experience.

 Learning is generally defined as a “process of acquiring new knowledge or skill through study, experience or teaching”. But to me, true learning is much more complex than this.  It can only be considered meaningful when it is accompanied with changes in basic understanding and behavioral potential of the individual. It is not merely the acquisition of information but rather the assimilation of such information and its subsequent incorporation into the individual’s psyche and behavior. In truth, we are what we learn.

Over a person’s lifetime, there is no doubt that the experience of Living is by far the greatest and most effective source of learning. This is a fundamental fact has been universally and consistently recognized and accepted throughout the ages by the majority of the great thinkers and philosophers of all cultures.  The renowned ancient Roman philosophers Pliny and Tacitus, both strongly insisted that:

 “Experience is the most efficient teacher”,

 and Julius Caesar publicly acknowledged that:

 “Experience is the teacher of all things.”

 Mahatma Gandhi went further and noted that:

  “Knowledge gained through experience is far superior and many times more useful than bookish knowledge.”
        

Formal education, though extremely important in assisting us to obtain the best opportunities in our lives, is not necessarily always the most important component. The history of the world is replete with examples of people who have become very successful in every conceivable aspect of life without ever completing their appropriate formal education. This should not be surprising since in many such instances their success is based primarily on their innate ability to maximize their life experiences. The following are some of the endless examples of people whose contributions have changed the course of history:

-Abraham Lincoln, considered one of the greatest U.S. Presidents, finished 1 year of formal schooling then continued his education by self-teaching to become a lawyer.

-Andrew Jackson, successful as a soldier, lawyer, judge and U.S. president, was essentially home-schooled, without receiving any formal school education.  

-Benjamin Franklin, one of the greatest sons of America, a founding father of the nation, inventor, scientist, author and entrepreneur relied primarily on home-schooling.

-Christopher Columbus, the great explorer who discovered the Americas, was essentially self-taught, learning all the intricacies of sailing from experience.

-Frank Lloyd Wright, possibly the most famous architect of the twentieth century, never continued beyond primary school.

-Henry Ford, the father of the assembly line for car-making never completed high school.

-Winston Churchill, considered one of the greatest British statesmen, historian and artist, failed high school and never attended college. He was credited with saving Britain during WW11.

In my own lifetime many of the very successful inventors, entrepreneurs and game changers I have encountered or have read about have been high school and/or college dropouts who chose to abandon the formal programs of learning to go their own way. These include, Bill Gates and Paul Allen (microsoft), Steve Jobs (apple), Michael Dell (computers), Larry Ellison (oracle), Larry Page and Sergio Brin (google) and Mark Zuckerberg (facebook). They  succeeded without the benefit of formal education but by their individual and joint efforts to change the world in dramatic and unimaginable ways over a period of just over a decade. In all these cases, these exceptional people chose to forego the conventional road to enrichment and trusting their instincts, go forward on their own learning, acquiring the experience as they moved on.

This does not, in my mind, argue for the condemnation of an organized schooling system as a primary source of education. The overwhelming majority of students require an organized, structured, orderly milieu to be able to learn and to grow. For these students it is therefore imperative that they be offered the best possible opportunity to learn and acquire knowledge. But there will always be a special group of individuals who will rise above the conventional standard and choose their own road, using nothing but experience and their innate ability as their guide.

        

Unfortunately the true failing of our educational systems is that they do not make allowance for the needs and variations of individual students. They cannot provide the flexibility that allows the individual to learn from experience in the group setting of formal teaching. Instead students spend their learning years locked in a proscribed curriculum, held within boundaries laid down for the majority, which are zealously guarded under the pretext of being the only efficient way. It is no surprise therefore that the majority of students complete their education full of knowledge but unwilling to venture out and risk failure.

Within the last twenty years however the situation has been changing as educationalists search for ways to effectively incorporate experiential learning into the conventional systems. This is very definitely facilitated by the universal availability of computers, the increased use of interactive procedures by teachers and students and the rapid development of electronic based programs. This, to my mind, is clearly the direction to follow since it provides a range of meaningful opportunities to satisfy the different needs of the students and allows them to develop to their maximal potential at their own pace.

All this in keeping with the famous quotation by Xun Kuang, a Chinese Confucian Philosopher who lived from 312 – 230 BC, which is still considered to be the banner of Learning from Experience:

“Tell me and I forget.

Teach me and I remember.

Involve me and I learn.”

                  

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