Memorization: You’re Treating Your Life Like a Textbook.
and how can we shed this old mechanism of thinking?
So, I was doing some client work today, and this idea hit me. I rushed to Medium to jot it down among tens of other drafts I had before it went away.
In order to improve our lives, we must improve ourselves and the perception we have about the world around us. To do this we should look no further but inside ourselves.
Studying ourselves is the secret. And it’s not only me, a 20-year-old guy from Albania, saying this. When Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers of all time was asked to sum up his lessons, he said.
“Knowing thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” — Socrates
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” — Socrates
And it’s worth examining our life from the very first days when we started building our system of values and reactions: childhood.
Our childhood is responsible for most of our behaviors today. The bullies, the annoying employees, the leaders, or the criminals roaming the streets in search of their next victim, were majorly affected by an event in their childhood.
So, I’d like to explore this topic in terms of our early and ongoing education. (hot topic, I know, but the truth remains the truth).
The essence of concepts is lost in mindless repetitions
You are sitting in the second row of your classroom and the teacher asks a question. It could be the biology hour. You love biology and are always seeking to understand concepts in-depth.
However, one of your classmates sits up and repeats the definitions from the book verbatim. “Well said, E.! 9 out of 10 for today!”
Ouch! How crazy is that?
I mean, sure we won’t start dissecting concepts for hours during the lessons, but what does it mean to prioritize lack of logical answers and test understanding instead of memory?
This is quite a controversial topic. The point I want to make here has less to do with judging the schooling system, but rather with identifying how it has affected us so far.
We’re merely memorizing without understanding
Today’s jobs are on their way to automaton of every process that relies on memory, meaning that the human workforce needs to develop something computers can’t master in order to remain indispensable.
High-paying jobs want you to be creative and have problem-solving skills. But what are the chances for you to develop these skills when so far you have been trained to memorize?
And listen, by relying on memorization we can’t go farther than just learning a tedious work process, or reciting facts when we’re asked for an argument. This is scary actually, but we can go as far as memorizing our personality without truly knowing it! (What the heck!)
Your soul will ache and the pain will resurface years later
Let’s take this scenario: My name is Gledjan. I was born in a rural area of Albania. I decided to study Foreign Languages because people said I was good with English. They also said there’s a bright future for those who know at least one foreign language.
After investing years in learning English, French, and German in university, I must choose a job that involves what I studied for. Five years invested in learning these languages should serve something. Choosing another direction in life means throwing everything in the trash, and that hurts.
So, I’m starting to memorize this personality as it gets shaped. I work for a few years as a translator. The pay is good, but I feel incomplete. I’d like to rather be doing something else that was more creative and involved technology.
In order to fill this void, I turn my head around to see how others are living their life. Searching for a pattern to memorize. Just as in the biology class. Rehearsing the definition of a happy life could bring me near to a happy life, right?
Most of my peers search for wild experiences, cheat on their lovers, take loans for unaffordable vacations, and pursue paths that will give them that dose of dopamine that their profession cannot.
Not that this missing joy should be found only in the profession, but it should be something that comes from knowing what you truly want instead of from trying to implement what others are doing.
Life is like that big classroom, and most of us are just rehearsing definitions without actually understanding them, but differently from the classroom, in life, we feel a void because we’re not in touch with the real essence of our actions. While, in the classroom, you can’t see this.
Is there a way out?
Asking questions is the beginning of the way out. Pushing ourselves to be more curious about our actions, our behaviors, and our goals. Observing ourselves on a daily basis is the first step to knowing our unlimited capacity, what truly makes us happy, and what career choice we’d enjoy.
This is my opinion, but definitely not the only answer you’ll need. The true answer is the one you’ll discover yourself after asking questions and unlearning what it’s not you.
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