Have you ever imagined what learning would be like if there was no formal schooling system? Would we be able to learn at all? I believe we would learn the most if there was no structure to limit our learning abilities or interests. This was the case for me when I dropped out at high school level. I realized from that moment that my life was now my own and I had the choice to do with it as I would see best. I had no exams to remind me of revision, no tests to prompt me to pay attention to my learning or even a teacher to correct and discipline me. I was on my own and my future depended on the choices that I was going to make. I must say it gave me cold feet at first but I later learnt to make the most of it and to use this new learning system in my favour.
I started by launching myself into a world of books so as to develop a strong reading culture. I read about almost every topic I could come across. I stayed up late in the night reading self help books and thinking how I could practically apply what I was learning to my life. I learnt so much and today it helps me in making meaningful discussions with people from all walks of life.
I later launched myself into online research for all kinds of free learning resources to enrich and educate myself. I soon discovered that the internet is a wealth of knowledge and information on all kinds of topics and themes. I committed to self educating myself through the use of free online resources and specialized in Counseling psychology and family therapy.
I learnt from my experience that learning is not limited to the four walls of a classroom or the perimeters of a school. I must say I learnt more from my self paced learning than I ever did in my formal schooling. I was not simply reading to pass an exam, I was learning about issues that were relevant to me and that I was passionate about. This is the huge difference between schooling and learning by choice.
Learning is indeed a personal choice and not a mere coincidence. Although the external environment has a lot to do with how motivated a person is to learn, if the internal environment is not aligned to the interests of the learner then the learning process will be incomplete. To learn, we must align ourselves with the purpose of learning. Spirit, soul and body must be aligned together in order to make learning complete.
Learning is therefore the inner alignment of knowledge with the practical application of the same in real life situations. This is what enables children to learn so fast; it is because they only learn what is relevant to them and thus easily specialize their abilities in their areas of interests. We as adults can re-learn this approach to living and learning. It is this kind of approach to learning that will enable us to go beyond our limitations into fulfilling our potential.
