Mindvalley (Kuala Lumpur): the key to any type of learning is to know yourself

In an era of fast technological development, the key to learning is the ability to know yourself.

The series of discussions about education and learning continues with another guest at Idea Shoot, Nicoleta Tache, Head of Launch Localization at Mindvalley, in Kuala Lumpur.

The discussion with Nicoleta tried to give us some interesting perspectives on the idea of learning and especially on the need for this process to be continuous. Of course, whether we like it or not, whether we are aware of it or not, this process is a constant in human life. As Alec said, man and primates share the same need to learn continuously, throughout life. 

As we said in our last discussion with Diana Segărceanu:

Education is closely linked to the cultural background of a society or a group of individuals. Education does not and cannot exist independently of a certain cultural pattern.

But what fundamentally influences the texture of the cultural pattern? What are the elements that shape it and give it its specificity? A very important shaping element, as we talked about in the previous discussion, is the political factor. Totalitarian regimes tend to isolate the education system from performance criteria out of the need to align it with the needs and fears of the political system. In other words, freedom of expression or critical thinking will never be intrinsically valued by a totalitarian system because people can use them to get out of the suppression sign, become aware of certain aspects of their lives and finally oppose the oppressive system in one way or another.

In the discussion with Nicoleta we developed another factor that shapes the cultural context and ultimately the nuances of the learning process: technological progress. 

In the last 70 years, under the empire of great technological change, the environment in which we live has changed dramatically. If the environment is changing, we need to learn to function in the changing environment, Alec tells us. Whereas it used to be enough to learn 5-10-12 years to prepare for an environment in which you could perform for 30 years, today this is no longer the case, Alec believes, because in 30 years the world changes enormously and what we learn today is no longer useful tomorrow. 

From this point of view, of technological changes at a dizzying pace, we can state a first necessity of the continuous learning process: the need to be tuned to the valences of the present time.

In other words, without education, we are left behind. And if we remain behind, we become fractured from the present, we become prone to isolation. 

Another need for which lifelong learning is the answer is that of a complex and complete neural network. It is routine that erodes neural pathways. The more often we go down certain mental pathways, the more we "throw away others," Alec tells us. Lifelong learning is the unique opportunity that man has not to fall into the trap of routine, which narrows his corridors of understanding and consequently limits him only to certain levels of understanding of reality. 

And now we enter the territory of Nicoleta, who tells us that in all this turmoil of change, in which learning and education are a living and constant processes, technology and innovation come to their support.

In today's pace governed by change and innovation, it is not just WHAT we learn and how that helps us become a better version of ourselves that is essential, but HOW we learn. We are different human beings, with different needs - therefore how we learn must also be aligned to our individual capabilities.

And this kind of human-adapted learning can be understood as multidisciplinary and multidimensional learning. 

When we talk about learning adapted to the needs and specificity of the individual, Nicoleta tells us, we are talking about free but guided learning. This type of learning is one that recognizes that there is not one single truth, but as many truths as there are perspectives to look at it. Things may seem more complicated than they are.

In reality, learning is about trial and error. This process not only leads to assimilating information correctly, but also provides the experience of a complex and insightful learning process. 

When you learn properly, you learn with pleasure, because you use your personal best in the process. Education in this century must be education tailored to the individual. The paradigm shift, in which the individual adapts to education, must be increasingly present today in public and private education systems. Why? Because this system offers flexibility, dynamism and efficiency. And not least, pleasure. 

At the entrance to the temple of Delphi, dedicated to the god Apollo, was written the famous saying: Nosce te ipsum. That means, know yourself. But after these words, something else followed: Know yourself, and thus know the universe and God. 

The key to learning and education, Nicoleta tells us, lies in man's ability to know himself. Only then will he truly be able to learn to the extent of his individual immensity. It is education that refines and smooths the corners of our being, but we are also responsible for this process. We have a duty to learn continuously. We have a duty never to stop knowing ourselves.