What is learning?

Learning as defined by the dictionary is a verb that mean:

1. to acquire knowledge or skill
2. to become informed.

While those are fine definitions, I think that looking at the origin of the word makes more sense. Based on several supposed origins of the word, to learn came from words that translate to ideas such as "I know," "to be on the right track," and "having gained by study." These all seem to play into the modern sense of learning which as we all know, happens at school. But when I look at all I have learned since I left school (only just one year ago) I realize that if learning stops when we are finished with school, I am seriously under prepared for the rest of my life.

After I graduated from college in May of 2010, I took a mental vacation. I stopped reading, I didn't keep up with current events, I didn't really even ask questions. I just went about my life, content with just existing from day to day. In talking to my husband one afternoon, during that mental vacation, he mentioned a prominent world leader. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I played along and pretended that I knew exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, my husband, being the intuitive man that he is, caught me in my fib. This led to a discussion about intellectual curiosity. It was then that I realized, quite abruptly, that learning is up to me now. I have to seek out information. I no longer have someone to stand in front of me and tell me what I need to know. Luckily for me, my husband is the most intellectually curious person I have EVER met. He doesn't believe me when I tell him that, but he really is brilliant. So I have a wonderful guide to help me.

While I am no longer attending an institution focused on making sure I am ready for my career path, I do still have teachers all around me. When I say teacher, I don't mean in the conventional sense. When most people hear the word teacher they think of someone writing on a blackboard and assigning homework. However, I mean teacher as someone who offers knowledge. I see teachers as co-workers, friends, children, experiences, books, or anything/anyone else I come into contact with that offers me something I didn't already know or understand.

Lately, I have made it a daily goal to learn at least one new thing. I don't always have to learn a factiod about the environment or the origin of a phrase, for example. Sometimes, I'm happy to learn something new about myself or a friend. Hopefully, "Learning Forever" will be an incentive to ensure that I am learning every day, because, as much as I love learning, I love helping other people learn even more.