Life and learning go together

There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning — Jiddu Krishnamurti

Our life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us enlightened, even though many a time it is hard to realise this. We must always remember that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward. Hence, we must always make it a point to learn something about everything and everything about something.

Throughout our journey of life, we constantly learn some such lessons that result in the formation of sanskaras according to our karma. Hence, if we know it clearly that learning is unavoidable and that we are always learning good or bad things, resulting in good or bad sanskaras that lead to happiness or sorrow, then we will never say we have no time or no interest in learning.

Likewise, if we know that our sanskaras go along with us life after life, then we will be more careful in learning good things and in giving up bad things because education seems to be an elixir that can bring us a healthy mind and body along with a lasting fruitful life. In the present day life, nobody is perfect so far as goodness and virtues are concerned. Hence, it cannot be denied that we all need to be enlightened and we urgently need to improve the quality of our thoughts, speech and action.

Since we cannot avoid learning, even if we wish, why don’t we then learn to inculcate, in us, moral values, virtues or good qualities so that we may make progress towards perfection? Why do we wish to carry a heavy load of rubbish on our heads? Why do we want to delay our march towards our goal? What do we gain by making lame excuses, saying that we have no time or that we are not interested? What is it that we are really interested in? Are we interested in our downfall, decay or doom? In sinking and drowning deep down in the quagmire of vices, evils and mud? Remember, the more we delay, the worse will be our condition and more difficult would it be to rectify our ways. The process of learning, as was said earlier, is ceaseless and continuous and hence someone has rightly said, “We learn every day and shed the ego and the perception that I know everything.” Hence we cannot stop it even if we try our best, putting all our might into it. So, why not we remain alert and follow the right path that saves us from tragedies, traumas, tensions and turmoil of life? The answer lies within us.