Lifelong Learning

A guest post from Terry Freedman

Exploring Life and Literature

Dear friends,

This week, western Tennessee has been bitterly cold. Small snow flurries have appeared randomly, but nothing has stuck to the ground. My son and I spent Friday hiking in a local state park and taking photos. It was a fantastic way to spend his last day at home before heading back to college.

Today’s essay is the fourth in a series of guest essays on lifelong learning. For the past two months, we have explored this idea. Specifically, the role literature plays in it. In the words of that most erudite of philosophers:

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” - Dr. Seuss

Terry Freedman

lives with his wife and three cats in London, England, where he works as a freelance writer. He enjoys reading, writing, and attempting to solve cryptic crosswords. Terry, a lifelong reading addict, believes reading can provide experiences, information, and points of view that would not otherwise be available. His favorite authors are David Foster Wallace, Gay Talese, and Borges, but he would especially like to recommend the ‘one-upmanship’ books by Stephen Potter. He writes about life, literature, and writing in his newsletter, Eclecticism.

Please enjoy Terry’s essay below.

“But I don't want to work towards Grade 2. I don't want anything to do with grades."

I was speaking to the saxophone tutor someone had recommended. Not being entirely sure I'd have any aptitude for playing the instrument, I’d hired one rather than buy one, and I’d decided on a few private lessons rather than enrolling in a course. Almost immediately, the tutor started talking about examinations and grades. I simply didn’t want to know.

There is always a danger of extrapolating from one's experience to encompass the public at large, but I don't think my outlook is that unusual. After all, why should an activity one pursues for pleasure have to culminate in a grade? As it happens, eighteen months later, I appreciate that achieving grades can add extra pleasure. They're an objective measure of achievement, after all. However, I needed to undertake several courses without feeling the pressure of examinations and everything they entail.

But here's something that is quite disappointing. The number of adult education institutes in the UK offering courses one can take purely for pleasure seems to have decreased markedly. Forty years ago, I was able to offer, and have immediately accepted, a course called Understanding the Economy, aimed at people who just wanted to understand the economic policies being enacted in their name. These days, I'd almost certainly have to attach a certificate of some kind to it. A certificate usually implies a test or some other form of assessment. For some people, their last experience of that sort of thing was failing at school. Perverse as it may seem, a certificate is the last thing they want.

I think the semi-official emphasis on qualifications ignores important potential benefits. So what are the benefits of continuing your education beyond school? As an avid advocate of lifelong learning, both as a student and a tutor, I would suggest the following.

Pursuing an interest

When I was at school, I loved English Literature. However, I wasn't sure what I could do with it apart from teach. So I pursued Economics instead (and still went into teaching, but that’s another matter!). For the past several years, I've enrolled on many English literature courses for sheer pleasure. Last year, I undertook a come that led to a certificate in literary criticism, because my self-confidence had increased to the extent that I didn't care very much whether or not I passed.

Improving your skills

My first creative writing effort appeared in my school magazine when I was about 12. My first paid article appeared in print in 1990, and I've been writing and getting published ever since. That hasn't stopped me from enrolling in many creative writing courses to further develop in that sphere. My personal motto is that there is always something more you can learn. Let's be honest: none of us knows what we don't know.

Less tangible benefits

Even these benefits are, in a way, utilitarian. Are there any, perhaps less tangible, advantages in undertaking further study?

Firstly, whether you enroll in a course or join a programme such as Matthew Long's reading group, exchanging ideas with others has important psychological benefits.

Secondly, it's been shown that loneliness, especially among the elderly, can lead to or contribute to poor health, not the least of which is dementia. I don't like to wade into politics, but I have to say that politicians seem to be remarkably poor at joining the dots and considering unintended consequences. In London at the moment, for instance, people over 60 enjoy free travel on public transport in some circumstances. There has been talk about getting rid of free travel in order to save money. An unintended consequence would almost certainly be that some people would have to stop enrolling in courses, which could, in turn, lead to social isolation and the consequent deterioration in health. In other words, lifelong learning is not just about traditionally-defined "education". My economics courses, and others like them, helped some people become more informed citizens. This, in turn, improves the body politic in ways that may not be easy to measure, but which are nonetheless real.

Undertaking courses in "soft" subjects like literature can help people become more empathetic to the sufferings of others. Undertaking any course, whether computer programming or basket-weaving, and whether a formal or informal undertaking, can improve people’s self-confidence; it can also provide them with opportunities to interact or socialize with others.

Obviously, I'm biased, but I would say that engaging in lifelong learning in a purposeful manner is one of the very best things you can do.

You can read more of Terry’s writing at his publication. 

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Until next time,