Learning: A Life Long Process

My previous job did not see me past an electronic typewriter and what more could you expect in a Government organization where most were using manual ones! Thankfully out of the two electronic typewriters in the entire organization, I had access to one! That was the closest to electronic automation that I could get, way back in 1989. No one around knew how to use this then so-called ‘sophisticated’ machine! In between work tasks each day I tried my hand at learning some new feature from the manual. Whenever I could not comprehend a particular feature, I learnt it by trial and error!

In the nineties, when my daughter was in her fourth year of college, computers had just hit the scene. To simplify working on her thesis, she wanted one at home and even though it cost a pretty chip we soon had a home PC. I was keen to learn how to use it, but unfortunately she was always working at it and so I never got a chance to go beyond starting up the machine! She always chided me for this saying, “Amma, at least learn to send an email. What will you do if I study abroad? How will you stay in touch with me?” Her words bothered me, but were not motivation enough to learn how to use a computer. I had quit my job and was a stay-at-home Mom then and quite happy thinking,” where was the need to learn and what use will I put it to”?

But there was something else Providence had in store, for me. Around this time I took up my second job. It was initially tough getting back to a working routine after a 5-year break! The world had changed much within that span; the office scene having been flooded with computers, of which I knew hardly a thing! Nothing could be tougher than having to learn all over again, especially at an age when people would cast you into the middle-aged slot! I was faced with the prospect of having to pick up a new skill or sink. It seemed quite daunting at first that I had to make a beginning with a gadget that had many features, each of which appeared more mind boggling than the other! Work was aplenty and most of it had to be done with computers. Sending out mails, using a printer, all required use of computers. Thankfully my only plus point was a good typing speed and hence MS word was easy learning. But Excel never seemed my cup of tea. I am not one for working with numbers and statistics. I would be happier with them out of my way! It was then I recalled how my father took up a postal course in Electronics and learnt to be an Amateur Radio enthusiast when he was in his mid sixties! He always said, “Age should never be a deterrent to learning, for it’s never too old to learn a new skill”. His learning enthusiasm was never lost upon me. I decided that I must give things my best shot It was a new organization where unlike myself and a couple of others, most of the staff were young and fresh, and just out of college. I soon realized that I had to get there fast and there was no way I could do it alone, unless I took the help of colleagues. Each time I got stuck sending out a mail or getting a print, I would ask my young colleagues to teach me how and with their ever-eager-to-teach attitude, they were only too willing to oblige. Their young energetic minds and positive attitude charged me and spurred me into action helping me to learn at an age when it was all too easy to give up. They were my teachers, my gurus. I felt blessed and grateful with their presence around me. I soon learnt the ropes and learnt Excel too, bringing in a sense of comfort whilst working with numbers.

Today I am pretty computer and Internet savvy. Being an information freak, not a day goes by when I do not surf the net. There is so much to learn and what a wonderful source the Internet really is. Thanks to my young colleagues whose significant contribution to my growth and learning must never go unacknowledged.

The day you stop to learn, you also stop growing as an individual. Learning is a constant life long process. It is fodder for the essence of your spirit. However simple and small an act of learning may be, it eventually contributes to soul evolution. No experience is wasted just because it failed to fetch any gains in material terms. We create our reality by choosing those experiences that lead us towards soul growth. For the soul no experience, however insignificant, is ever lost! Keep in mind that you are,

As young as your faith,
As old as your doubt,
As young as your self-confidence,
As old as your fear,
As young as your hope,
As old as your despair.