We spend our whole childhood in school learning subjects which never help in real life. We then spend our teenage years in college learning how to basically be an adult and try not to be stupid. And when we become full-fledged adults and enter work life, we learn how to deal with corporate slavery and run behind money. Phew! That's a lot of learning! But is it really only about learning? Is this much enough for a lifetime?
I have always said that I have learned a lot from life. Be it from heartbreaks to family pressures, every situation is a lesson in itself. But doesn't mean that the meaning of the lesson remains the same throughout life. I have come to this belief that the things I learned from a certain set of people or circumstances yesterday may not hold strong in my tomorrow. For example, if I ever learned to be a compromising person in my past I may not want to remain the same in my present. So I have to UNLEARN all the notions I fed myself over the years.
For me everything comes down to the art of unlearning. Only when you master this art can you grow, adapt, change and soak in all the experiences life has to offer. As much as learning is important, unlearning teaches you to be flexible, shed all ego and embrace life with kindness. I'm in the process of unlearning all that doesn't stand true for me today. Be it the way I talk, think, care, love, hate... If it stops me from respecting myself I'll make sure to stop and unlearn.
My past 3 years have been emotionally heavy and now when I look back I see some of the bullsh*t I have adapted to and in no way I want to continue living like that. Last 3 months of this year and my last resolution for 2019 - strike a balance between learning and unlearning.
To unlearn is to shed patterns , to shed beliefs about oneself , about others and the world at large . To wipe the slate clean . Unlearning and letting go , go hand in hand . I hope you continue to learn unlearn .
ReplyDeleteSince you’ve mentioned - respecting yourself . You know prerna, that is another trigger . Careful with the respect bit - for that can trigger more emotion . A few months ago I wrote a comment - where I mentioned unlearn .
The key to unlearning I feel is relax and accept that we move with life and life moves with us . There are no set patterns except the ones we’ve learnt to create ourselves and the ones we’ve learnt . The moment we relax and accept life as an event and the many events in life , as - life itself , we somehow can adapt to reality without having the compelling need to learn to deal with it or unlearn how we’ve dealt with it . Confusing isn’t it ? Sorry , not my intention .
In the words of the controversial thinker , spiritual master - Osho ; don’t ask , don’t want , don’t demand , relax , and when you relax it vibrates with you and when it vibrates with you , it is there .
Relax for you have reqlinqusihed control , relax for you have unlearnt . Close your eyes - and it’s is there - bliss & freedom from all that you’ve wanted to leave behind and all that you’ve wanted to unlearn . Bliss - sher di puttar. Remember there is always one more round :)
I always feel happy reading your comments because even though we don't know each other I feel like you understand what I'm trying to convey from my blogs. Once again, thanks for your wise words. I shall keep these in mind :)
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