The Stoic philosopher Epictetus once said, “We should not trust the masses who say only the free can be educated, but rather the lovers of wisdom who say that only the educated are free.”
And author Ryan Holiday (Stoic expert who writes online at Daily Stoic) says, “Knowledge – especially self-knowledge – is freedom.”
When I got into the education field, I heard a phrase often repeated regarding the idea of instilling a love for knowledge in our students. We were encouraged, as professional educators, to help students to become “life-long learners.”
I’ve always loved that concept – the idea that learning never stops; the idea that a person could so greatly value knowledge and education that, for the entirety of their lives, they are learning something. As a teacher, I myself endeavored towards that ideal. I wanted to always be learning and growing as an educator, so that I could provide the best instruction to my students. And I wanted to inspire a love for learning in them, so that long after they left my classroom they would continue to pursue knowledge in some form or fashion.
Now, as a counselor and therapist, I often tell my clients that counseling never actually stops. The counseling process never ends – it’s simply the counselor who changes. What I mean by that is that the goal is for the client to eventually learn so much about themselves and their problems and learn what needs to be done about it, that they become their own counselors; that they become able to coach and guide and help themselves throughout the journey of life.
The need for wisdom and direction and help in overcoming struggles will always be there. But I see my role as a counselor not as the person who tells someone what they need to do in order to “fix” their lives, but as someone who helps them discover new ways of looking at themselves, the problem, and their situations, and then discovering that they have the ability to decide for themselves what to do.
I believe that life calls us to be always learners – to always be learning new ways to cope, new ways to process, new ways of being and doing and thinking and living.
Life itself gives us new experiences so frequently. In the last 16 years of my life I’ve had to learn how to be a husband; how to parent a child, then two children, and then three; how to buy a house; how to start a new career. With all of life’s changes, growth and learning and increases in knowledge had to take place. It’s a necessity of life – to be always ready to learn something new.
But a love for learning goes far beyond simple necessity.
I think Epictetus was talking about more than just learning how to manage living in this world. He was talking about philosophy, about the learning of deep things, about applying oneself to discovering things about the world, about life, about humanity, about God. Things that might actually be life-changing.
And this is the invitation today. To set a goal – a goal to learn, to grow, to read, to consider, to take in something new every single day.
This is the kind of knowlege that brings true freedom, because it empowers us to use our God-given minds and apply our learning to our daily living.
Growth does not happen by accident, but with intentionality. May this be our intention: life-long education, the pursuit of knowledge, an increase in understanding, so that we become more thoughtful, wiser, and more apt to live well in this complicated world.
How can we do this? I’ll give you three quick ways:
1. Read good books.
Spend at least 20 minutes each day with written words. Whether it’s a book on history, religion, politics, culture, self-help, psychology, or even a good novel, we can always learn something new. Broaden your understanding by reading other people’s perspectives. Build cultural awareness and acceptance by immersing yourself in other people’s worldviews. If you want a few good book recommendations, click here.
2. Listen to other voices.
Engage with people who are using their own platforms for good – to educate and inspire and motivate others, not simply to entertain them. There are so many voices in the world to listen to, and not all of them are helpful. But we now have access to thousands upon thousands of experts (even self-proclaimed ones), whose content has the potential to help us to grow in some way. Click here for some of my favorite podcasts and Youtube channels.
3. Learn a new skill or re-engage with an old one.
I love fly fishing, although I’m not that great at it. This is something I can stand to learn more about, and with some effort and time I can surely improve this skill, which will then improve my enjoyment. Identify a skill or a hobby or an activity that maybe you’ve always been interested in, or one that you’ve allowed to sit idly while you’ve lived your life. Spend time on it, get better at it, and notice how good you’ll feel about yourself.
I’ll leave you with one last quote, this one a lot simpler:
“Learning never exhausts the mind.”
Leonardo daVinci
If we can apply ourselves to learning and education, we will never be sorry. But woe to those who spend their whole lives thinking they know everything and never learning anything new.