LEARNING LIFE'S LESSONS?

Many people would say that we learn life's lessons from going to school and reading books. To me going to school and reading books teaches us school and book's lessons.
Life's lessons are taught to us by life itself. The more that we experience Life, the more of life's lessons we learn. However, many of life lessons are learned when we experience life along with an "instruction book" in our hand.

This was brought home to me quite vividly over this past week-end when my husband was trying to fix our answering machine. Daughter had called last week to tell us that she had called earlier in the week and tried to leave a message but the answering machine never clicked on. Strange, we said.

Without thinking about why it was not working, my husband; who can fix most electronic things effortlessly (if we are not talking computer) recorded a new message. Then I used my cell phone to call and make sure it came on. This procedure was done three times and still no message came on.

Then "the man" actually went and got the instruction book for the answering machine and read one simple line. "Press ON/OFF to manually turn the system off or on. When the answering machine is ON, the light inside the button will glow steadily." There was no light glowing; so he pressed the ON/OFF button. All I heard him say was, "Don't tell me it can be that simple!"

Then I remembered that in a speedy cleaning effort to prepare for company, I had noticed that the answering machine base unit was quite dusty and rather greasy as it is in the kitchen area and we have a gas stove. (I know, I know, if you clean it more often it doesn't get that gunky!) As I was degreasing the unit, I inadvertently pushed a variety of buttons. One of which was the Turn Answering Machine On/Off button.

When we stopped laughing, we talked about how true that experience was of most of life's lessons. Many of those lessons are really quite simple if you experience life fully and are armed with an instruction book!

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON RETIREMENT

What happens to our brains when we age? What can we do to keep our brains in good health when we are preserving our physical and mental health? Do we have to lose our brain power?

We humans are learning machines, and the brain is the engine that drives that machine. Crammed into the three pounds of convoluted tissue inside our skulls is a dynamic mass of a hundred billion or more nerve cells, each one capable of making thousands of connections with others. These nerve cells are what makes our learning machine run.

From the day we are born—and even before—the brain is primed for learning, ready to capture the experiences of our lives and encode them into its web of nerve connections. Learning organizes and shapes and strengthens the brain’s connections. It fine-tunes the brain, preparing us for all that life has to offer, whether mundane or extraordinary. And according to the latest brain research, actively engaging our brain in learning throughout life can have a significant impact on how well we age.

While searching on the internet for more information on the power of the brain and how we can keep it running smoothly with just some minor adjustments and repairs as we age; I found some very interesting information about a book from which you can read excerpts or read the entire book online. The book is called The Learning Revolution . The book describes what it calls

“History's newest revolution: the power to change your life”

This book is based on eight main beliefs:
1. The world is hurtling through a fundamental turning point in history.
2. We are living through a revolution that is changing the way we live, communicate, think and prosper.
3. This revolution will determine how, and if, we and our children work, earn a living and enjoy life to the fullest.
4. For the first time in history, almost anything is now possible 5. Probably not more than one person in five knows how to benefit fully from the hurricane of change - even in developed countries.
6. Unless we find answers, an elite 20 percent could end up with 60 percent of each nation's income, the poorest fifth with only 2 percent.1 That is a formula for guaranteed poverty, school failure, crime, drugs, despair, violence and social eruption.
7. We need a parallel revolution in lifelong learning to match the information revolution, and for all to share the fruits of an age of potential plenty.
8. Fortunately, that revolution - a revolution that can help each of us learn anything much faster and better - is also gathering speed.
This book tells its story. It also acts as a practical guide to help you take control of your own future.
The main elements of the revolution are twofold. They link the modern marvels of brain research with the power of instantly available information and knowledge.

You can read excerpts or the entire book online at The Learning Revolution This the chapter that I found fascinating:

Meet your amazing brain (Read Chapter) 113

You're the owner of the world's most powerful computer