Unlearning 101

The Fog of Unlearning

I am in Iowa to deliver a keynote presentation (entitled "Why Future Trends in Healthcare Will Require Unlearning") to the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative today.

After working on my presentation early this morning, I decided to go for a walk at sunrise. The photo to the right offers a view of what I saw.

As I stared at the pool of fog in the distance, it occurred to me that I was also standing in fog--I just couldn't see it clearly.

It then dawned on me that it is always easier to see when someone else is enveloped in a fog; it's far more difficult to comprehend that you are also in the thick of it.

One key to unlearning is to begin to appreciate--whether you realize it or not--that we are all in a fog.

Of Blinkers and Blind Spots

I recently was returning from Colorado on a long car trip with my family and as we were headed east toward Minnesota (our home) I was passed by a van with a large "Team Jesus" sign painted on its side. As it pulled in front of me, it kept its right turn signal on.

After a few miles of staring at this blinker (we were driving through Nebraska at the time so there wasn't much else to do), I turned to my family and said, "Do you know why that 'Jesus' van always has its right blinker turned on?"

"No," they replied.

Jokingly, I responded, "Because they always think they are going the 'right' way."

It was just a bad pun of course but I think all of us drive out into the world with an almost unshakeable faith that everything we believe is true.

And, undoubtedly, much of what we believe is true.

Like the driver of the van who forgot to turn off his right signal, however, we can also be guilty of holding on to things (and ideas) past their usefulness.

One option to guard against the possibility of false certitude is to conduct the equivalent of checking your blinker signals by asking this question occasionally: What if I'm wrong?

If you are still right, by all means, keep your blinker on. If conditions have changed, though, it is perfectly legitimate to turn off your blinker.

To be extra safe, I'd also encourage you to check your mental blind spots every now and again by asking this question: What aren't I seeing?

It could help you from getting blind-sided by some new idea that you "never saw coming."

To Grow: Unlearn

If you can unlearn your ideas about what is possible, you can grow almost anywhere.

Related Posts

The Tree of Unlearning

A Plant Whose Virtue Has Yet to Be Discovered

Permission to Become Your Own Authority Figure

Does no one in a position of authority like your business proposal, your manuscript or your idea?

Stop listening to others "no" and say "yes" to yourself. Give yourself permission to become your own authority figure.

Roll-Over -- Or Is It Roll-Under -- and Unlearn

Years ago, I recall one of the more hotly contested issues among the readers of "Dear Abby" (or, perhaps, it was Ann Landers) was the issue of whether toilet paper should be rolled over the top or the bottom.

Personally, I have my own preference but I'm a firm believer that in order to stay open to unlearning we must occasionally get into a "discomfort zone." One simple way to do this is to do simple tasks -- such as folding your hands or even eating corn -- in the opposite way.

To this end, if you're looking for yet another way to jolt yourself out of your routine, might I suggest putting your next toilet paper roll on opposite your normal way. 

Another Reason to Develop a Little Unconfidence

Developing a healthy dose of unconfidence can be helpful in unlearning. Ironically, one of the things many U.S. students must unlearn is their high level confidence in their math and science scores.

Did you know that although U.S. students have some of the lowest scores in math and science, they consistently rank highest in how confident they are about their math and science skills. (Students in Singapore -- who possess the highest scores -- however have some of the lowest levels of confidence in their math and science ability).

I'm all for self-esteem but high confidence can work as a serious determent to improvement. In other words, the American student (who desperately needs to improve his or her math skills) doesn't think such action is necessary because they are overly confident in their ability, while the Singapore student (who is already doing well) continues to push ahead and improve because she believes she is behind her international peers.

Related Posts

Replace "No Doubt" with "To Know Doubt"

Have Some Intellectual Humility

Unlearning Intelligence or Why You Shouldn't Tell Your Kid He or She is Smart

A Curious Connection? Brains, Mind Maps and the Universe

Take a look at the pictures to the right. The symmetry between microscopic neurons and a macroscopic galaxy is rather surprising. Is there a connection between the two?

Honestly, I don’t know but I do believe the human mind is capable of discovering the answer.

To this end, I invite you to watch this six minute video of a fascinating and powerful (and potentially disruptive) new educational tool called Nibipedia. Pay special attention to the configuration of the “Mind Map”—you may be surprised at the similarity to the above images of the brain and the universe.

Is there a connection? Again, I don’t know but, perhaps, with the assistance of Nibipedia, James Burke and the brainpower of millions of other people we can find out.

Related Posts

Dancing into the Future with Three TED Videos 
Make More Connections to the Future

 

A Risky Proposition

I'm not a neat freak and I'm certainly not a germophobe but this recent article on germs does highlight an area where I believe a great many people need to do some unlearning: Risk assessment.

Did you know, for example, that your desk at work (or home) may have 400 times more germs than a toilet seat? Other studies have shown that the sinks and faucets at public restrooms harbor far more bugs than the toilet seat; the salt-and-pepper shaker in your kitchen likely holds more germs than your cutting board; and the menu at your favorite restaurant could be a greater risk to your health than an unsanitary waiter who does not diligently wash his hands? 

Interested in scrubbing your hands with some other unlearning nuggets? Check these old posts:

Danger: Prevention Has a Risk All of Its Own

Bite the Hand That Feeds You

Unlearn or Die

Get a Leg Up on the Competition: Embrace Ambiguity

In 1988, the American Management Association conducted a study of successful leaders. It found that the most important characteristic in determining a leader's success was their ability to embrace ambiguity. To this end, take a look at the image to the right: Can you see both sets of legs?

If not, study it until you can ... it might give you a leg up on your competition.

Interested in other ways to embrace ambiguity? Check out these old posts:

A Dilemma: The Problem with Problem-Solvers

You Can Embrace Ambiguity: True or False?

A Powerful Tool for Unlearning: So?

That's not possible.

It's a dumb idea.

We've already tried that.

That won't work.

We need more resources.

We need more money.

We need more time.

I'm not skilled -- or smart -- enough.

There are a million reasons why we shouldn't try or do new things. Don't believe any of them until you answer and then act upon this question: So?

Beliefs can be powerful things ... but remember you can't "believe" without the word "lie."

Interested in another learning another seven words that can help you unlearn? Check out this old post:

The Secret to Unlearning in Seven Words