Learning: The elixir of life

Being open to constantly learning new things and mastering new skills is the best way to stay youthful, creative, and realise the purpose of your incarnation on earth, says Jamuna Rangachari

- Jamuna Rangachari

You don’t grow old when you age but when you stop learning.

~Kenneth H Blanchard

None of us want to grow old and we keep looking for ways to delay the process of ageing, but the truth is that eternal youth has little to do with the body and more to do with our mind and spirit.

As long as the brain is sharp and agile and one is willing to constantly learn and evolve, one is young. But if the mind has become closed, fixed, and stagnated, one can be said to have aged much before one’s time, even if one is physically young. Examples abound of people who have put a cap on their learning and have chosen to stop their mental growth because they do not want to make anymore efforts. However, learning is an attitude of a curious and ever-evolving mind which is full of wonderment, excitement, and childlike enthusiasm for life.

According to NLP coach Nasreen Khan, the more people stick to the same old ways of doing and thinking, the more are their chances of contracting Alzheimer’s in their old age. Conversely, learning a new skill or adopting a new way of doing the same thing helps create new neural pathways in our brain, keeping it young, active, fit, and productive. A sound memory, a sharp focus, new knowledge, and good problem-solving skills keep one feeling empowered, motivated, and confident. Learning new things is a good way of keeping the brain engaged, active, and young, and the spirit renewed and energized.

Just like a physical fitness routine, we need to have a mental one too. For learning is a tonic for life. Many people were able to infuse fresh vigour in their lives simply because they chose to learn something new.

Evergreen heroes