Step out of the tank

As people gets older … many tend to limit themselves (consciously or unconsciously) and draw back a bit, taking life easy. After years of hard work, it is time for them to relax and enjoy a slower pace in life in their later years. That seems to be the norm when people stop working and live their hard-earned retired life. 

Look, there is nothing wrong here but the sad part is … many also stop learning. Maybe I put it this way … there are people who like to think that they know enough already and some even think that there is nothing in the world that they do not know. Yes, I have seen one too many such people. 

These people are actually backing themselves into their customized zone of comfort and beliefs … a place where they are comfortable in, with what they already know … believing that there is nothing or very little outside their zone that they need to know. In other words … they stop learning or maybe they don’t want to learn. You can identify these people … they keep talking about the things they were good at in their past and re-telling them in many of their conversations.

Then there are those who are afraid to learn. To them, maybe it is too troublesome … maybe they are simply lazy, there is no initiative ... some even think that there is no incentive for them to learn. Whatever they already know is enough for them to live their remaining years. And they too, put themselves into a their own customized zone among the likes.

There is a saying … we don’t stop learning until the day we die. With time, resources and the convenience of modern communication facilities, one can learn so much more … there is a lot outside your comfortable zone if you are willing to take it on.

You see ... learning does not mean you have to do rocket science, understands world politics or make new discoveries. Learning can be very simple, yet meaningful.

Read a book … new stories or old histories … there are plenty to know. Travel … not for pictures but for the understanding of the people and cultures around the globe. Cook … learn a new recipe to please your loved ones or try an old recipe to preserve the familiar taste. Pick up a skill … maybe learn to play the flute or other musical instruments that you fancy. How about taiji, qigong or maybe line dancing? Draw … explore your creativity. These are just a few examples … there are so many more simple and meaningful things that one can learn.

And what you have learned will surely be passed on … maybe you don’t realize it but when you interact with people … discuss, explain, express, illustrate or demonstrate … whether in talking or writing or in other forms of interaction … your knowledge, ideas, thoughts, experiences can and will be passed on … it is a form of teaching.

Yes, you are now living an easy life … laid back, comfortable and relaxed, but don't stop learning. I am sure you heard people say this before … if you put a shark in a tank, it will grow 8 inches but if you let it roam in the ocean, it will grow 8 feet.

You are only limited to the tank that you put yourself in. There is a vast and fast changing ocean outside … so, step out of the tank and keep learning … you will be a better person.