What Have We Learned

Lately I find myself returning to the mantra of being a lifelong learner.

It is a phrase that started in the education community. Education should not stop with the 3 p.m. bell and students leaving the classroom. It should be a philosophy of life that continues from this point on.

It is a good idea. Better said, it is an idea that should have been present all along. I remember years ago during a stint in teaching a fellow teacher said to approach the class as if you the teacher are the only one with the answer; make them dependent on the answer to the question you the teacher presented.

I have to admit it sounded a little arrogant. We were in a classroom of adults who needed the tools to learn, not dependency on an authority figure, even in an authority-based environment.

Fastforward, if change is a stimulus to learn, we have all been handed a college degree in the last few months. The question is how many of us have recognized the opportunity and followed up on it.

When the coronavirus was announced, it was defined as part of a collective of viruses including the common cold and flu. It was also said the best first lines of defense are wash your hands, cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing and stay home when sick. What was the name of the book? Oh, yeah! “Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten.” Maybe the easy lesson here is hygiene should not be taken for granted. Maybe, we need to be more aware of what we expose ourselves to, and what the consequences are.

There was a day news was perceived as truth, fact. Ok, stop. Already, we have, philosophically, three different objects. I remember the approach of “believe only half of what you see and less of what you hear.” Being skeptical is not a bad thing. It means you intend on being a hard sell, and will debate the facts presented until proven.

In this discourse, an unexpected lesson might be that “pedigree,” that is advanced education, does not mean that person is morally or ethically sound. A person with a PhD is just as likely to be morally corrupt as the man who sleeps in the gutter. The question to consider is can the person who has access to reliable data manipulate it unbeknownst to most people.

The stay-at-home orders, mandated masks and social distancing directives contained several lessons as well. First, why do we go to our favorite restaurant? Is it because they offer food we can’t cook, or is it for the environment, for the opportunity to meet others in public, socialize at the dinner or lunch table? Likely, it is a combination of convenience, choosing your own menu and orchestrated socializing. The COVID-related limits have forced us to review how much we need, or don’t, the trip to a cafe, a stop at the favorite watering hole and so on. Hopefully, the lesson has included appreciation for those who serve.

The sober commentary on this experience is also that life doesn’t last forever, humanly at least. If not the virus, what is to say we make it across the street, through the park on the morning walk, to the end of the 40-minute exercise period? What is more important, a long existence, or a happy and productive life? Sometimes, the two are not the same. If this has taught us anything it is that life is a gift. Every time you wake to see the sun rise it is another series of opportunities to impact someone’s life. Awkwardly, it takes more work to smile when wearing a mask.

Businesses have learned there is more than one way to reach a goal, some that need less attendance in the office. Business,

My hope is society has learend how valuable people are. I’ve heard the statement “No Man Is An Island” almost to the point it is cliche. However, it is also true. There are people who function better with fewer people, but we all need someone at some point. The mandates to stay home, don’t go out unless necessary, has caused a mental strain on many. We need to remember to take care of each other; socially, mentally and physically.

Even in the best of days, this is probably not over. Let one of the lessons learned and applied be to wake each morning embracing the morning’s light and the day’s challenges with equal acceptance.

We appreciate the afternoon in the shade more when we can tell about pushing through the heat of the day.