Determination

Once you come to realize no knowledge or skill has an eternal value, it seems tempting to conclude that only the ability to continue to learn is timeless.

(It is coincidental that one of our little friends made such a comment in his Facebook notes. See http://www.facebook.com/notes/rutherford-sin/depreciation/10150093773727190)

In a sense that is correct. The unfortunate consequence is this idea of having an ability of learning has a cardinal importance is eagerly accepted by many of our educationalists, with an aim to reduce the amount of knowledge to be mastered by the doctors of the next generation. The result is Life-Long Learning Skill becomes an independent subject of our curriculum, as if there is really skill to be taught and mastered.

And, at the end of the day, we have a group of graduates who are able to learn - but have learned nothing (or, to say the least, nothing material).

What has gone wrong in our argument? None, except that it is not the ability to continue to learn has the timeless importance (the ability to read is taught in kindergarten and primary school), but, rather, the habit and determination to continue to learn.

And, habit and determination are humanistic characteristics that could never be taught in the classroom.

PS. That believe of having an eternal learning skill is, in itself, a self-conflicting statement - any skill that could be taught is never eternal. As Lao Zi (老子) said: 道可道，非常道。To take an everyday example, the ability to search in Index Medicus was probably the only life-long learning skill twenty years ago - but you must have graduated in the previous millennium if you have ever heard of this antique system of literature search.