My phone AutoCorrect’s to learned. I think that defines the issue in a nutshell. I’ve always prided myself on being a learner. I come from a generation that placed an emphasis on learning (not to be confused with scholarship). We were defined by our adaptability and not only the ability to quickly absorb and acclimate to new tech but to push that tech forward. I’ve gone from Commodore 64 to quantum computing in my lifetime. I like to think this is because we accepted the idea that we were learning from those who came before, and continuing to learn long beyond achieving so-called expertise. However, in my life I’ve seen a shift from learner to learned. The emphasis is no longer on gaining new knowledge but accessing existing knowledge and being ‘in the know’. The idea of learning purely for the sake of personal intellectual growth is a unicorn in the wilds of our society.
I could blame google. Ease of access is always the downfall of effort. Still, blaming is not the point here. How do we cultivate change? I suppose I can do more in my own life. I live amongst largely fixed mindset individuals. There are a few even in that set who are open on occasion, like a storefront with set but limited hours. So perhaps personal action can infiltrate their hardware.
Still this isn’t about change either. Not yet. This is about awareness. I believe knowing a thing is the first step towards understanding it. After all, that is what learning is all about. I haven’t been the best learner as of late. My phone autocorrects me to the learned whenever it can. Still, perhaps, like it just did a sentence ago, through effort it will start to autocorrect in the other direction.