“Not to unlearn what you have learned is the most necessary kind of learning.”
– Antisthenes, Greek philosopher
FROM womb to tomb, we confuse reason with purpose. Aims, goals and objectives get mixed up. From cradle to grave, we are dying in instalments day after day, not knowing for sure whether we are motivated solely to satisfy our sensory perceptions.
Family, school, religion, tertiary education, the employment and career market hungrily await as does ubiquitous government. We have more than enough peer pressure to contend with throughout our lives in a perpetual effort to yearn, learn, earn and gainfully unlearn.
Many awakened individuals religiously spend quality time everyday realising that the only way out of flawed society is to unlearn everything that was shoved down our throats by our uncaring peers.
The beginning of the unlearning curve is the development of human capital. That alone is genuine wealth. Whatever value and worth educational institutions offer, we need to cast a learning eye on our neighbour, Singapore, who’s a global expert in developing human capital.
Charles Bukowski captured the essence: “We are here to unlearn the teachings of religion, state and our education system.” Make no mistake – it’s a lifelong duty and obligation to be watchful of our institutions and to tread carefully.
Unlearning and outlawing bias and discrimination will make for a better quality of holistic government. Bias and discrimination have no place in legislation or morals. Government must force the unlearning of such vices.
The next big unlearning routine is to question religious teachings by clerics who are yet to learn the basics of unlearning to understand the spiritual essence of religious texts for human survival. Deviant teachings are inevitable.
The Holy Quran (English version) encourages believers to reject false beliefs and practices. For instance, it states, “And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know it.” – Quran 2:42. The focus is undoubtedly on unlearning.
The Holy Bible, Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The Bhagavad Gita emphasises the importance of “unlearning” or discarding incorrect beliefs and limiting attachments to achieve spiritual liberation. This process of unlearning is crucial for understanding one’s true nature and realising the ultimate truth.
“Buddhism tries to unlearn something daily“; the first question that comes in mind is “what do we mean by unlearning something”. To unlearn means to unlearn the beliefs that we are taught when our mind is completely pure, and by learning them we lost our pure self in beliefs of world and making up to it.
Sikhism too emphasises unlearning negative habits and ingrained biases as a crucial aspect of spiritual growth and achieving a life of peace and harmony. This process involves recognising and dismantling harmful patterns of thought and behaviour, such as prejudice, greed and attachment to worldly possessions.
It’s comforting and heartening to know that religious texts have incorporated a self-correcting device in offering accurate translations and interpretations of original texts and tenets. This is important since all man-made laws spring from Natural Law inspired morals.
When you stand up for your rights that usually offer no corresponding remedies or reliefs, you are standing up for good government. After all, isn’t it the government’s primary objective as its unlearning nature to care of its citizens?
One hears of authoritarian governments. Lifelong unlearning must generate and promote an authoritarian citizenry. That is pure and uninterrupted democracy. Written constitutions and laws in society must reflect the unassailable will of the people.
In the mid-1940s, Dato’ Onn Jafaar became increasingly disillusioned and disgusted with what he considered to be Umno’s race-based communalist policies, and called for party membership to be opened to all Malayans of all races, and for Umno to be renamed as the United Malayans National Organisation.
This intellectual giant, way ahead of his time at that time, proved the value and worth of unlearning bias and discrimination. But his dream was shattered by the subtle and covert agendas of the British who were desperate when their Malayan Union plan was stillborn.
Today, unlearning communal politics is almost seditious. The Federal Constitution and existing legislation are subtle in their nudges, nuances, nods and winks about polarisation.
May 9, 2018 saw unlearning become a national ethos when Umno was severely sidelined by the electorate. But the 22-months-in-office prime minister saw fit to outvote and veto the electorate when he suddenly chose chaos by announcing his resignation to destabilise a functioning government.
Makes one question whether there is such a thing as an honest and honourable government. The Federal Constitution must contain punitive provisions for acts of national disunity wilfully committed to destabilise a functioning government.
Charles Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle captures the moment: “If the misery of our poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.”
Our institutions can be lethal and toxic by the will of the leaders who go all out to curry favour with power while pandering to lobbyists and special interests funded by powerful elites.
Unlearning must never take a vacation. Unlearning must necessarily become a natural nurturing national ethos.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at chiefjudge@secamtektektribe.org.
