Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn

June 1st, 2008

“The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”- Alvin Toffler

© 2008 Derek Sivers

8 Responses to “Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn”

  1. Joshua Pearl wrote on June 1st, 2008

    Derek,

    Thank you for sharing this great distinction. I couldn’t agree more.

    I would add to the definition of modern literacy the skill of filtering…being able to decide what is important, nourishing, valuable, and/or useful and learning to ignore that which isn’t.

    This insight emerged during a conversation I was having with my 15-year old son just before the purchasing of his first private computer.

    We were pondering how in the 20th century (and before), there were social filters (governmental authorities, centralized media companies, departments of education, censorship boards, etc.) that took responsibility for filtering through and trying to discern what material made it in to people’s consciousness.

    Of course, these social filters still exist, but I sense that now it is up to individuals to learn to self-filter. There are simply too many places to put our attention. Being able to creatively steer our focus would appear to be becoming a matter of psychological survival, not just a useful skill.

    Keep your valuable ideas coming…it’s good to know that you are out there learning and growing, sharing and caring…

    JP

  2. Pablo wrote on June 1st, 2008

    Totally agree, Joshua, it’s hard to tell who’s the authority nowadays. Everyone should choose and follow his own path.

  3. Rich Newman wrote on June 1st, 2008

    Sounds a bit like developing “beginners mind”

  4. Peter Blue wrote on June 2nd, 2008

    @Rich: I love beginners mind. That’s where it all starts fresh and exiting.

  5. Colie Brice wrote on June 3rd, 2008

    I don’t know why, why is all I know..

  6. Joshua Pearl wrote on June 3rd, 2008

    How refreshing!…A set of blog posts celebrating the art NOT KNOWING (or what Alvin Toffler referred to as the skill of unlearning). Thanks for the link, Rich–I lived in Japan for many years and the practice of “beginner’s mind” was one the essential pieces of wisdom that drew me in and kept me there.

    Applications of this important concept are everywhere: I just finished two days of tracking guitar and bass parts for a client’s record and everything that was worth keeping only came after the we got past what we thought we knew and began to discover what lived beyond our preconceived musical ideas.

    The same principle seems to apply to entrepreneurial activity, such as business meetings where the breakthrough realizations or ideas only emerge after the initial agenda has been given its due and everyone is free to explore what better ideas or solutions might be hiding out in the recesses of their minds.

    I will often set up a detailed agenda before a meeting and then allow myself to eagerly anticipate the discovery of what the actual purpose of the meeting will prove itself to be, knowing full well that it might have nothing to do with what we initially think we are meeting about.

    This might seem like folly if you are operating in a large, hierarchically-structured organization, but in an age where many are discovering the freedom to design their own independent, creative, visionary business/career models, I think that a “beginner’s mind” approach to life, art, and business fits right in.

    JP

  7. Johnny Casey wrote on June 4th, 2008

    I just learned!!!! Thanks !!!!

  8. Caught My Eye wrote on June 9th, 2008

    [...] Derek Sivers - Learn, Unlearn & Relearn “The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”- Alvin Toffler (Thanks Veken!) (tags: internet) [...]

Leave a Reply









Derek Sivers