Live to learn, and then you will learn how to live

A few months ago, when I was in Canada’s Surrey town, I thought I was in another Punjab because of the many Punjabi families settled there. In the morning and evening, I’d see large groups of Punjabi elders in parks and other public places, playing cards or some such game. One day, I approached one of those groups and began talking to them about what they had learned during their time in Canada. One gentleman, who was 75 years old and was living in Canada for the past 30 years, confidently said that he had learnt nothing. I was both surprised and amused. He said, “Look, I was not a little kid when I arrived in Canada. I was a grown-up and grown-ups do not need to learn anything.”

Unfortunately, I don’t agree with him. Learning, I think, is a continuous process and one can learn from anyone at any point. Being openminded enriches our mind. As Vernon Howard once said, “Always walk through life as you have something new to learn and you will.”

A big part of it involves learning from mistakes. Last year, Steve Harvey, the man who hosted Miss Universe, wrongly announced the final results at the Miss Universe contest but he was quick to realise his mistake and apologised in front of everyone. It is certainly a great example.

Accepting mistakes and learning from them make us better and our personalities stronger. Remember: No one is perfect as everyone has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, but if we give up the attitude of learning, we gain nothing and remain stagnant. To quote James Dewar, “Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.” So, let’s remain open to learning and shut ourselves from it.