Unlearn

Once, my teacher told to my class, “The greatest skill you can have in the 21^st century is the ability to learn, relearn and unlearn.” I was intrigued back then but today, I deduce the significance of the statement. Learning is pivotal for growth in any sphere of life – academics, sports, career, parenting etc. Learning can be articulated as imbibing new information and using that information to one’s own benefit. Whether you have to study for examination, hone a particular skill, improve any aspect of life it is an imperative. But, you might already know its importance even better than me and I don’t even need to explain.

Relearning is an interesting term because it presupposes that we have already learned something. Since memory is forgettable if not used, we would require some time to regain the learnt process. For an example, when I used to teach my sibling his subjects of class X or to clarify doubts, I usually took some time to recall math formulas, science concepts and social science topics before I could teach him. The skill is stored in the brain and the more someone practises the stronger the neural pathways become. It is important because we need to revise the topics we have already learnt for example in studies, communicate in a language which we are learning etc.
Having articulated that the former two abilities: learning and relearning are fundamental to move ahead in life, I would also say that you might already know their importance. It is just axiomatic that one cannot succeed bereft of the aforementioned terms. But, I was more fascinated by the skill “Unlearn” and that’s what I intend to elucidate.

We are living in an age with more information which is easily accessible. We are bombarded with news, information and topics often online and it has become a norm that an average person today will know more than anyone else from the previous times. Research has become facile due to Google, products’ information is just there when we buy, we often check YouTube reviews before purchasing a phone, online books etc. The point is that we just ‘know more’ than the previous generations on an average. There is also more exposure to news online via social media. The nature of news has also changed: instead of putting up socio-economic issues, a more sensationalised topic is telecasted to attract more views. The target is your amygdala – the organ in your brain which interpret threats hence, pays more attention to the piece of news. It isn’t a coincidence that most news channels are themed with red, orange, yellow colours since they grab your attention more than any colour. The whole system is set up to grab your attention which are not just related to one’s identity but controversial too. It is just not limited to national televisions, but same for marketing campaigns of companies, social media, meme pages, etc. The result is that at some point, one would succumb to these and watch the news, click the link or read the article. This would be enough for sometime but since the feeling of sensationalism is fleeting, you would again crave for the information.
Our times has another distinguishable feature which is that people are convinced that having more knowledge is necessary. This is bolstered by the phrases such as “Readers are Leaders”, people sharing the snaps of books they read, “successful” people recommending that one must read more books etc. The result is that a person will often buy books, podcasts, or other resources to ‘improve’ their life and end up imbibing more information. Here comes into play the ‘Paradox of Choice’. You think that you will be better off with more information and it will help you take better decisions but the result is that you dread taking any step due to fear of misinformation, not proper research, less knowledge etc. The key factor is uncertainty which you try to stave off by getting more information in the guise of ‘research’. The end result is that either you take bad decisions or even if you take decisions, you have less confidence in their success potential.
A person also takes up more information to confirm to one’s identity. For eg. If you identify as a ‘feminist’ then the chances are that you surround yourself with feminist literature, follow various personalities sharing the same identity, blogs etc. The same is true with religion identity, political affiliation and many other aspects of life. The key factor underpinning this behaviour is Confirmation Bias. It means that you have a certain understanding of the world and you go around looking for evidences to buttress the belief. This causes you to identify with a certain belief and also that it is justified. The fact here is not that you must refrain identifying with anything, but since you will end up sucking more information to support your identity This may limits one’s perception towards life and causes one to interpret the world through a narrow ideological lens. It is also why we despise people who are narcissists – they can’t think beyond themselves, here their identity of self is strong.

The argument I put is that we have commensurate amount of information at our disposal today. We are surrounded by abundance rather than scarcity compared to previous generations and much of the information is unnecessary. Here comes the importance of unlearning stuff. We need to drain much of the knowledge that we have gathered simply because much of it is unnecessary. They are just basic facts or details which might never be useful to us. They say “Knowledge is Power” not because the goal is to accrue knowledge but power. If you want empowerment, then you need to know how to unlearn many things. It is not necessary to be aware of all the happenings around the world, only limit them to your requirements. Our attention for a day is so limited that it would be futile to waste it on paltry piece of information often aimed at showing us an advertisement. In the end, you need to manage the information you receive because much of it is unproductive, sensationalized and even at times false. Unlearning process can be extended to habits as one should cull bad habits and replace them with productive ones. It would also mean to give up a perspective so that you are open to other perspectives too. You would know best what you have to know and serendipity is also a fact, but there is no benefit from consuming information mindlessly in a digital age.

Suggested terms to be understood:
1. Paradox of Choice
2. News Illusion