My Missed Learning Opportunities - Can I Go Back?

The Problem with Education

Think about your early, mostly ignorant education. The one that was cooperatively forced upon most of us at an age when we were wholly and unreservedly impressionable. It was done 'for our own good', even if we didn't know why.

Expected to endure endless hours of externally imposed discipline and bombarded by well-intentioned teachers, we somehow struggled through those formative years, emerging almost none the wiser.

What If

Now here's the good news. What if, you ask yourself - what if you could take what you know now and go back and get 're-taught' only those areas of subject matter that you yourself deem valuable (and invaluable). 

That's right - not everything you learned in K-8 was valuable. Some of it was pure abstraction with no practical use in your world. Now it's 20 or 30 years down the road, it still hasn't been used, and is never likely to.

And another thing, there were definitely subjects not offered at the time that would have made you a very different person than the one you are today. Mind training, creativity, analytical thinking, yoga and meditation. For elementary school aged students? That's right. How about conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, and accounting?

There are people in this world who received the right type of education at an early age. They come from the two extremes of life - the very rich and the very poor. Rich people have private tutors, like-minded associates, and non-traditional private schools.

People in poverty, while likely receiving no formal education - got what they needed as they went along in the school of life, the living breathing classroom of community, family and culture. Not necessarily television, either, which is an unregulated educational distraction.

For the Rest of Us

The answer for the average person on the planet is really quite simply. Part-time or full-time home-schooling. For yourself! It's inexpensive and practical, and a win-win situation for all parties concerned.

If you decide to teach your own children (or even someone else's), you would be able to introduce proper subject matter to those in whom you have a vested lifelong interest.

Simply being a teacher is one of the most powerful means of learning what you need to know. In this manner, you can absolutely revisit your own education with a much more developed sense of integrity and passion for learning, a sure recipe for success (and fun).

For those of us without children, yet who have a strong desire to learn, consider this: create your own 'home university'. Set up a customized curriculum, select the subject matter, and dedicate a fixed schedule of study. Create a system by which to monitor your progress (you need not give yourself assessments if you don't want to) but definitely try to test out practical applications (this is the most exciting test of new knowledge).

Life is about improvement, so what are you waiting for?

Ted Ollikkala is the main contributing author to Spiritual Chicken.
SpiritualChicken.com SpiritualChicken.com is a free guide for making the most of your stay on the planet, regardless of your confusion level (but we hope to clear this up) or particular set of spiritual beliefs.