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Learn to Unlearn

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The illiterate of the future are not those who can’t read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. –Alvin Toffler         

 

What is unlearning?

 

Unlearning is the process of realizing that something which we learnt earlier is incorrect, ineffective, or obsolete, admitting it and deciding to erase such bad conditioning and misconceptions out of our mind for good. It is the process of exploring what we have stored in our system and deleting all the unnecessary data. It is the process of saying bye to an old, obsolete, and outdated paradigm, and embracing a new paradigm and willingly undergoing a paradigm shift.

 

Unlearning means stripping away the beliefs and ways to act/behave/live that have been imposed by our upbringing, by our education, by the society we live in. It means challenging everything we've come to know as "the way things are supposed to be" and embracing "the way things are." 

 

 

Ways of unlearning

The first step towards becoming an “unlearner” is not just to have a thirst for knowledge but to question our knowledge. Discussing our knowledge with those who are competent in a particular field, being challenged constantly, and being ready to be proved wrong will help us understand whether what we have learnt is still relevant or obsolete. It is also important to question one’s belief system and check whether we are treating myths as scientific facts.

Unlearning is required not only in educational institutions but also in workplaces. Not only teachers and students but everyone, irrespective of his/her profession, needs to learn to unlearn as it is the first step towards acquiring real knowledge.

When we allow ourselves to be controlled by our preconceived and misconceived notions, governed by myths, conditioned by false assumptions, and misguided by wrong opinions we have formed about people, we are not open to new ideas and are unwilling to undergo a paradigm shift. When we fail to allow our minds to let go of “disbeliefs” we have held and learnt over a period of time, we don’t allow ourselves to blossom. 

A close introspection will help us know whether we are really interested in unlearning what we have learnt. Unlearning makes us literate, educated, and wise. Unfortunately, the topic “unlearning” has not been much discussed in academia and the need for it is not emphasized in our educational institutions.

The power of unlearning relies on our ability to transform and change. Because, if there's one thing that makes human beings human, is that they are on a never-ending journey. And, unlearning can help that journey lead to self-growth, forgiveness, self-compassion and self-love.

 

 

 

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