Just because formal education is completed does not mean our education is over. It is a misconception

Of Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji

From the moment we are born until the day we die, learning is a constant part of life. Whether we want to or not, we are constantly absorbing new knowledge because life itself is intertwined with the learning process.

Our entire existence is a continuous education, where every experience contributes to our understanding. As conscious beings, our five senses—often called the five doors of knowledge—ensure that we are always creating perceptions. We hear, see, touch, taste and learn, but it is the awareness or consciousness in our brain that makes this learning possible. Without this awareness, learning is impossible.

Many of us spend years in classrooms acquiring knowledge. However, when formal education ends, we often mistakenly believe that the learning phase of our lives is over and it is time to focus only on achieving success. But doesn’t it seem strange to think that only a small part of our lives should be devoted to learning, while the rest is spent relying on what we already know? Learning never exhausts the mind, so why limit it to our school years?

Just because formal education is completed does not mean our education is over. It’s a misconception that many of us subconsciously adopt. Life is a series of experiences, each offering lessons that make us wiser, even if sometimes it’s hard to realize. Failures and challenges, though painful, propel us forward. We must strive to learn something about everything and everything about something.

Along our journey, we constantly learn lessons that shape our ‘sanskaras’ according to our ‘karma’. Recognizing that learning is inevitable and that it shapes our ‘sanskaras’ – leading to either happiness or unhappiness – should inspire us to be more attentive to what we learn. If we know that our “sanskaras” accompany us from one life to another, we will be more careful to learn good things and discard bad ones.

In today’s world, no one is perfect in goodness and virtues, so the need for continuous self-improvement is urgent. Since we cannot avoid learning, why not focus on cultivating moral values ​​and virtues that guide us to perfection? Why carry the burden of negative traits when we could be moving toward our goals?

Delaying our progress only serves to correct our course later. Learning is an ongoing, continuous process. As someone wisely said, “We learn every day and let go of the ego that claims to know everything.” So why not stay alert and follow the right path that saves us from life’s tragedies, tensions and turmoils? The answer lies within us.

([email protected] — www.brahmakumaris.com)
(The writer is a spiritual educator and folk chronicler)