October/15/2001 LEARNERS TREK

Shapes and creates what we are becoming….

Proactive Learning shapes and creates what we are becoming. As children it is hardwired into our core to the point that caretakers must protect us as we relentlessly explore and learn. It is so important to our wellbeing that we only avoid it at our peril. But this early exploration diminishes with time and experience. We begin to feel more comfortable with the familiar and less risky. We are guided and shaped by the experiences provided by our cultures, and our personal communities. We have a biological imperative to identify with our "tribe" and to act accordingly thus gaining advantage and security. We often stop wondering what is true and what is real in order to fit in or get by. Depending on the circumstances this retreat from proactive learning has social and survival value but it can also have a dear personal, and community price.

Modern western culture provides the freedoms to set our own agenda and take our future into our own hands. But we often hear the complaint that modern culture and its many choices leaves the individual inadequately grounded to their community, thus leading to social alienation and decay. Liberty is not freedom. Liberty is freedom thru learning. If we are first and foremost a social animal than we cannot last long without a social community.