When ‘learning’ happens

A beautiful conversation happened during a workshop I attended recently. Is “learning” at work/ in life all about finding the answer to all our questions? We all had multiple questions within us right from childhood. We seeked answers, looking for one – from our parents, from our teachers, from friends, from every single person we meet. And as we grew, we either started posting the questions in a filtered way or suppress the question within us.  From questions like “does truth always triumph?” till “what politicians can do better in our country?” multiple questions pop up in our minds. 
We try looking for answers from external sources, we argue mostly with all those answers we receive. If we fail to win the argument with the person, we stop there but the argument within doesn’t stop. The questions take a bigger avatar as why,how,why not, what,which is the right one, who etc. And… 

And sometimes we get the answers, many a times we do not. Let me stick to the examples I said. One gets the actual answer of truth ,only when he experiences multiple instances of dealing with difficult truth. Only after facing situations where he had to choose between truth and a possible lie. And only when he realizes that the end result of genuineness matters, he is able to get an answer to his pressing question. Similarly, the one who complains about politics in Nation gets an answer only when he is either a politician or a good citizen in the country. Throwing garbage on the road, polluting more with plastics – one can never find (rather not qualified) answer to a nation’s government pattern. 
Let me come to the point. “Finding the answer is not where the learning happens. The experience,the journey,the ways in which we resiliently search for the answer – that is where we learn,we absorb ,we transform”. Life also prepares us to accept the answer as we travel the path of finding it. We also learn from our mistakes.
That is why today’s learning programs , especially at Corporate levels have many experiential learning techniques. There are facilitators more than faculties who enable us to walk through a journey or experience via activities and connect it with personal experience for us to find more answers. 
And last but not least, as participants, before enrolling while we start the search searching for knowledge. But when we register for the training, we enroll based on the returns. Will I get a certificate? some gems ? How many competencies or recognition in system ? any kit or workbook for reference? What is the value add to my resume by attending this training?

But we forget that the key take away which is the experience that enables us to learn. The ‘key’ for this key take away is to introspect. Unlock yourself with introspecting on how you have experienced the situations, what learnings can you apply to the situation to groom you better.In this process of finding the answer, the learning happens !

Keep learning, keep growing!