On intellectualism and the case for lifelong learning

I am increasingly understanding why those who achieve things worth achieving are termed as 'misfits' and related terms like 'people-ahead-of-their-times'. It is because unlike what one would hope for, people in general do not spend their time tending to their intellectual growth. The very mediums that were intended to help us relax and unwind at the end of the day have increasingly become the tools that are stopping us from achieving our potential. As I interact with people and observe macro trends across the globe, I observe that rather than having stimulating discussions on historical figures and the roles they played in getting us where we are today, critically examining business ideas that sprung out of conversation and examining why or why not would they be a success, stressing our memory and summoning our (limited) knowledge of the basic sciences to understand the science behind some natural phenomena and racing each other to the solution, deriving pride from where we are as a civilization and the things humanity has achieved and placing our bets on the ever optimistic future. Rather than discussing how much work still needs to be done, how we still live in a society that has unfathomable amounts of inequality not only of resources but more importantly of opportunities, story boarding possible solutions. We are busy with gossip.

The majority of dinner tables are discussing the beauty, skin tone and possible hook ups of their beloved actors. When scientific curiosity is not encouraged from a young age, I find it highly improbable that today's youngsters will be able to develop it when they grow up. And soon enough science would induce the terror of equations and memorization rather than the deep sense of wonderment that it is meant to encourage. 

When we practise racisim and sexisim on a daily basis with and in front of our children how can we expect them to grown up to be ideal world citizens? Aren't we failing an entire generation as a society?

Unfortunately too many of us do not realise the importance of having the right kind of conversations and encouraging our interlocutors to grow. Now don't get me wrong I am not painting all art as evil. On the contrary art is one of the things that makes life worth living. Entertainment and relaxation are as important as the main goal itself; my only caveat is that why cannot the art and entertainment we consume be one that helps us expand our mental horizons both intellectually and culturally rather than reinforce dogmatic ideals that have no place in this century.

Why are we bent on painting intellectualism and the thirst for knowledge as  elitist pursuits for the snobby, liberal, out-of-touch people? Why not embrace it as a way of life? Understand that our entire life is a learning experience the more we learn the more we grow the more we understand ourselves and our fellow inhabitants of our planet the happier we will be. Is it the fear of failure? The fear that we will look stupid attempting to learn something that we don't know? Well guess what silly, no one knows anything either. Everyone is a co-passenger on this journey of learning. Some people may be ahead of you in a particular dimension, but I guarantee that you are ahead of them in another. Learning does not have to be a lonely process, seek the help of those that are ahead of you and help all those that you can. Doing that multiplies the joy of learning and indeed the joy of life. 

Read, Travel, Assimilate, Discuss, Argue, Challenge your beliefs, Introspect, Shatter the false walls of your minds, Grow, Help, Be happy.