Knowledge: the fear of not learning again

Matte painting created by David Luongt for ‘Temple of Knowledge’ project

One of the simplest things that scares me in life is the missed opportunity to learn. My grandfather had once said, “You learn all through your life. Even in death you learn what its like.” My friends say I’m afraid of perfection, but I don’t believe that there’s anything like perfection anyway.

If there was something like perfection then the world would come to a standstill, and that would not be a great thing. I want to learn all through my life. I want to learn from my mistakes, other people’s mistakes, and from people who know more than I do. I want to aim at perfection, and since there is no such place, I will just seek to improve throughout my life while aching for the ideal.

I like being criticized—constructively. I know I can’t please everyone but I at least need to know what parts of me might annoy or clash with others. I need to increase my self-knowledge, and only by listening to what other people have to say and receiving it positively can I better myself.

I am not a student anymore in any institution, but life continues to teach me new things everyday. As time passes, it’s getting tougher and tougher to retain information. But I’ll keep trying. I have my eyes set on my goal—perfection!