“If we already knew everything we needed to know, how would we ever experience the joy of learning something new?”
~ Jim Sebastian Sharman

Think back for a moment to what it was like for you at school, at college, even at University – did it really prepare you for life after it? If you’re lucky enough to have a career you chose and for which you studied, you’re indeed fortunate.

Likewise, if you have a career that encourages your growth, your development, somewhere that actually wants you to keep on learning, you are also fortunate.

Now consider your family, your finances or your relationships (romantic or otherwise), or dealing with change, or your health, or turning a hobby into a new career – do you know everything you need to know in order to manage all those things properly?

Did your learning environments support you in all those things? Was it fun? Was it joyful?

The point here is that, at least in my experience, learning should be a joyful journey of discovery – both of self and others – and the deeper we go into ourselves, the more prepared we can be to face life’s ups and downs, challenges and opportunities.

New knowledge presents us with new possibilities.

I saw a meme recently. It showed a picture of a young child showing compassion to an elderly person on the street. The caption read, “Your degree is just a piece of paper; your education is seen through your behaviour.”

Each and every one of us has the potential to learn something new each and every day – and we also have the potential to share the joy of that learning. Each and every day!

And, when we do learn something new, I’m firmly of the belief that we have a collective responsibility to share the lessons of that learning, for the benefit of all humanity. Not one human being excepted.

If we already know everything we need to know, does that not mean that learning then stops? When something new is waiting to be discovered, will the lack of ambition stop that from happening?

We are a curious race driven by the desire to investigate and understand. We could arguably point to moments in our history when the opposite of joy (misery, poverty, conflict, hunger, control, hatred) has resulted from the suppression of curiosity.

History is replete with examples of the curious mind resulting in ridicule, persecution, and even execution. The inquiring mind often finds itself at odds with groups who exercise authority unjustly, resulting in curiosity killing not only the cat but the poor creature’s owner.

Swami Vivekananda once wrote, “Each work passes through three stages – ridicule, opposition and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood.”

There are plenty of people who could testify to this: the Wright brothers, Leonardo da Vinci, Rosa Parks, Steve Jobs, Arthur C. Clarke, Brené Brown, John Lennon, Nelson Mandela……

All these people saw something the rest of us didn’t (and some saw plenty of things that others wouldn’t), yet this did not stop them from pursuing their vision, dream, ambition or aim.

We can wonder whether Archimedes had a rubber duck in his bath when working out the theory of water displacement. Was he enjoying the experience of thinking things through before the joyful experience of his “Eureka!” learning? We’ll never know, but it’s nice to think he was!

Many of the visionaries of our times, both present and past, go or went through the stages mentioned above and, over time, that sense of misunderstanding has passed (largely).

The question here, then, is what to do when you feel misunderstood, when you have an idea or vision for a future that includes ‘x’ product or ‘y’ principle, and when you experience the sheer joy of the learning process even before the sheer joy of discovery!

Do you stop? Do you give in to the ridicule? Do you bow to the pressure of hostility, suspicion or resistance you encounter in the form of opposition? Or do you continue steadfast in your belief?

When you are facing the first two stages, this is where your resolve is tested – and there are people in history to whom you can turn for inspiration and motivation when it comes to seeing your dream through. Let their victory drive you towards your own joy.

This can apply in any area of your life – personal, professional, romantic, platonic – let your reality propel you forward. Ultimately, those who are prepared to understand you will do so.

What challenges can you overcome by drawing on your inner strength and future vision?

What steps will you take towards experiencing the joy of learning something new? Will you then feel motivated to share that with others?