Learning with Purpose: Discovering Your Path

“For those needing a torch when looking through the darkness for meaning behind learning.”

Introduction: Why?

Why do we learn?

Have you ever thought about it? Every day, we wake up, rush to school, copy down a few formulae from our teacher’s board, complete his/her homework and repeat the cycle.

Have you ever paused for a moment, and thought “Why? Why it’s important?” Why we write exams, get excited — especially our parents — whenever we see an A grade on our papers?

What’s the point to all this?

“To get a job and earn a good living, obviously” might be the answer most of you are thinking of.

I don’t like that answer. For me, at least, it’s too surface level, too shallow. There really is no thought behind it. Rather baseless now that I think about it.

So, again. Why do you go to school?

Let’s dive into a bit of history. Formal education system(s) can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. These societies had schools where students learned subjects like mathematics, literature, and philosophy. One might ask why they invested so much time in developing these ideas, notions and passing them on to the next generations in the form of education.

Purpose: The Driving Force

I had a conversation with my father a few weeks ago. About school.

“There are children who go to school every day not knowing why.” He spoke.

In my thoughts, I responded, “They have understood this as the normal, the status quo.”

Unfortunately, this lack of understanding has consequences. It often leads to many young adults working jobs they despise, some struggling to find employment altogether because they lacked the motivation to truly excel academically, and worst of all, some developing a profound disdain for the entire educational journey. This leads to a life of bleak emptiness. All because they did not understand what education and learning truly is.

Back to those civilizations.

Ancient Greece, India, China, and medieval Spain.

These are just a handful of civilizations that reached the pinnacle of power, economic growth, society, and prosperity during their respective times of glory. They were celebrated for the intellectual achievements of their passionate scholars.

Why?

Why were these titans so successful during their time? Why is the great wall of China still standing to this day?

There are many factors, but I’d like to believe the main driving force behind their success, was a sense of purpose.

The architects of the Great Wall of China, the philosophers of ancient Greece, and the scholars of medieval Spain all shared a sense of purpose. They believed in something greater than themselves, and this belief fuelled their remarkable achievements. Learning being the key to discovering their purpose. Let’s be honest, even with how much the internet nowadays says you don’t need it, education is really one vital key to discovering who you are, what you like, and by extension, discovering your success potential, drive and purpose.

Recent examples: Bill Gates, a man worth a billion. He has created so much and earned about the same amount of success. But, in his eyes, all of these riches are worthless compared to why he started.

“I created Microsoft with the idea of working to find how software and computers can empower people.”

I did not hear any mention of money, nor fame. Simply his purpose.

There was a similar interview. This time, one with two university dropouts who somehow created a multi-million-dollar company. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The creators of Apple Inc.

“Why did you create Apple?”

Their response,

“We had a vision of changing the way people viewed computers. We wanted to make computers small enough for people to have them in their homes or offices.”

Why? Steve believed that he needed to put the power of computing into the hands of ordinary individuals, allowing them to harness the capabilities of computers for their personal and professional needs. He believed he needed to follow the purpose he had found for himself.

I promise you this; none of them would be where they are today without taking the time to learn about their respective fields through the teachings their predecessors left for them. Remember, learning doesn’t solely happen in the classroom. In the digital era (right now), you can literally learn anything for free. All you need is some sort of smart device, the internet and the drive to learn it. In fact, I encourage learning outside of the classroom. For most people, self-learning outside established schools leads to discovering new interests, which blossom into passions and eventually the overwhelming sense to use what you have learned and loved to learn to benefit others. Just like Bill, the Steves, Marie Curie, and so many other remarkable people who found their purpose through educating themselves on fields they adore.

Now, a little bit about me.

I grew up not knowing why I did the things I did. I just knew I needed to do what the rest of the world was telling me to do.

I never questioned it. Not until I started my senior years in high school. I didn’t even like the profession I told my teachers I liked growing up. I just said it to make them happy.

Only after I understood purpose did my perspective on learning change.

Your Purpose Matters

So, why do you choose to pick up that book every morning? Do you like what you’re doing? Wouldn’t you like to change it? Or will you keep doing what you’re doing? Will you discover something new? Share it with the world?

If you haven’t got some sort of answer, I recommend you pick up a pen and paper, and ask yourself what is it that you want. You may feel lost or discouraged when it comes to your studies, but I promise you; you are not lazy; and you certainly are not less than those you see grinning away at their work as they write and read with that shine in their eyes. You simply have not understood your own learning desires yet like they have.

That, or you don’t like the purpose that the world assigned you to.

Your purpose could be anything — engineering, dance, writing, even cooking!

Take your time. Think this through. This is about you, and what you want. Once you’ve figured it out, understand it’s okay to change your course of action if your heart demands it, even if you end up a little behind your peers. Don’t worry about what others will think. They aren’t you. Live your life for you.

Education. My understanding of it, is that it is a tool one is meant to use to find their purpose. Not something that brings you misery every time you see your Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams notification.

Cherish your learning years, for they are meant for growth and self-discovery.

IMAGE:

A pillar.
Strong, unmoving, unbreaking.

Unyielding.

Even through the harshest

Of winds, the rainiest of days,

The coldest of nights.

Your resolve must be this pillar,
if not stronger.

For this pillar,

holds up the ceiling to your

House of meaning.

Learning: the route to finding it.