Is It Ever Too Late to Learn

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   It is now 8.40am in Ireland, temp:0 but not too cold, I have just posted a Hub about a 70 year old man that I know who has just finished a PHD, that begs the question - Is It Ever Too Late To Learn?

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      (Q)posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It's never to late to learn. The problem is that so many don't want to learn anything.

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      alexandriaruthkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      oh well at least he fulfilled his dreams, how about 70 years old man learning to snowboard, there are limitations, so it depends

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      falcon64posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Learning is a continues process. No matter how old you are. My mother-in -law is 90 years old. But she is continue learning, making a book of fiction and fact.

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      Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It's never too late to learn, as long as YOU don't close yourself off to learning.

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      vox vocisposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Obviously not! Life is continuous learning....

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      lyricsingrayposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      truly inspiring

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      shazwellynposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      what a cool man!  Obviously it is never too late! hehehe

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         ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Shaz - Its seems as though I'm following you around the forums today.  Are you leaving a trail of cookie crumbs? I am awfully hungry.

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            shazwellynposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Umm... no cookies but I have some hot cross buns!  Want some? xx

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               ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Ok,thanks, but I'll have to "grab and go." Need to get back to work.

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      IdeaMorphistposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I believe that it is never too late to learn. Unfortunately there are aspects of aging which can affect an individual's ability to retain what they are learning.

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      DGBposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      NEVER TO LATE TO LEARN

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   well

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   skyfireposted 14 years ago

   You're learning til grim reaper comes up.
   
   We're learning about this world & ourselves till the last breathe.

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   megs78posted 14 years ago

   Its not supposed to be ever too late to learn, but there a lot of people out there who choose not to learn and continue making the same idiotic mistakes

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   formal education for mature students in Ireland is encouraged is it encourgaed in your part of the world....

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      rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      yes, it is and should be. learning something new is one of the greatest ways to keep the brain healthy and gives people a sense of accomplishment, provides new opportunities. the brain is like any other part of the body, use it or lose it.
      I remember in college hearing one of the professors say often,
      'learning is an exciting adventure.' 
      I think it also keeps the mind open to new info, ideas and the older adult doesn't end up being cynical and close minded as many unfortunately are.

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   skyfireposted 14 years ago

   In asia, people discourage adult learners but now trend is changing people are learning in universities irrespective of age.

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   megs78posted 14 years ago

   yes it is encouraged here.  There are some great programs for those who want to continue their education and to continue to learn.   Its an important part of staving off diseases such as alzheimers and depression and the government recognizes a way to relieve pressure on the health system as its population ages, so they put money into those programs to keep people learning.

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   aoiffe379posted 14 years ago

   Learning is a matter of attitude. To learn, you must want to be taught.Before my 83 year old mother died, I used to have her sit at the computer with me so I could keep an eye on her.She was fascinated by it and wanted to touch  and experiment. One night I ran into a problem and did not know what to do next.I let her fool with the computer and she solved the problem by touching a key I knew about but had never used before then.Eventually, she learned how to send emails.
   When my aunt- my Mom's sister was 87, she came to visit for the summer. By the second day she wanted to go home and decided to call her daughter. The phone had a block for overseas calls and I told her the only communication was the computer. It took a while for her to adjust to the idea of typing but I told her if she knew her ABC, it was easy.It was a long tedious process for her to send her first email but once she got the idea she was thrilled to use the computer. Finally she asked how it worked; and when I explained it, she indicated that she wanted a computer of her own.She taught me more than I taught her that summer. She will be 92 soon and is still learning new things.We are all lifelong learners.

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   skyfire, thanks for that great to see that mature students are being welcomed back...

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    megs78...great....love to know that mature students are getting help....here in Ireland Education was for too long the preserve of small elites...now people from all back grounds are being encourgaed into education, this is good for the economy and for the country....

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    oiffe, great, love to hear about this type of encouragement, I think it is great to see people returning to education, I like the idea that learning stops the on set of certain brain disease, I would rather see someone using a computer than being idel in a nursing home....well done

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    aefranciscoposted 14 years ago

    never it be ... there's always room for growth . . . and life is a continous search for meaning -  and as we do explore the different facets of life, we're learning

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    BEAUTYBABEposted 14 years ago

    I have a friend whose mother went back to night school at the age of 68, not only got her High School Certificate, She was Dux of her Class and then went to get her Bachelor of Education, just to prove to herself that she could do it if she applied herself enough.  The reason behind this was that she grew up with 12 brothers and sisters, without much education.
    She married very young, had nine children of her own. After a conversation one night, one of her daughters, who had just finished school, said "  I'd like to see you do that mum", as a joke, only Mary didn't see it as a joke, rather a challenge. She booked herself in for the next year and started to go to night school. The best part is that it was all a surprise, because her family thought she was doing craft, when all the time she was being educated and getting her High School Certificate and Bachelor of Educ.
    Can you imagine the looks on her children's faces, when she said she was getting award for her craftwork. However, when they turned up,they found a very different scenario. They were so proud of Mary, but I think the pride that she felt that day, far outweighed anything that they had.
    I just thought this was a fantastic story, and an inspiration to any grandmothers. I forgot to mention, she is the grandmother of fourteen as well, actually she just recently became a great grandmother, with another expected in three months. She is 83 this year.
    I think this is an amazing achievement.  BB

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       ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       What a wonderful story.
       And, no, I don't see why we should ever stop learning... formally or otherwise.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    beautybabe thanks for taking the time to share this wonderful story.....great to hear so many encouraging stories.....

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    Greg Cremiaposted 14 years ago

    After about 2 am I find it difficult to learn.

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    DaniellaWoodposted 14 years ago

    It's never too late to learn. It is true that the human brain has it's steepest learning curve during childhood, but the brain can always learn and take in unbelievably large amounts of information whatever its age. It's all down to your attitude. If you're willing to learn, you'll learn; if you're not, you won't. Simple.

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    Black Lillyposted 14 years ago

    I'd agree with the concept that it's never too late to learn, but somehow a PhD in your 70s... Maybe there are other things to be learned too?

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    Black Lilly, I hear what you are saying, but can we ever put a sell by date on dreams....

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       Black Lillyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Of course not. Just I believe that such things as degrees are normally meant to help you in your career - you need them for work. If you're just learning something for the sake of it, degrees are not what you aim for - knowledge is.
       Personally if I ever get to 70, I'd be head over heels in some charity work, trying to make a change for others, whose time is yet to come.

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          megs78posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          i like that point of view.  and I agree.

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    wychicposted 14 years ago

    Nope, it's never too late to learn as long as you acknowledge that you don't know it all! My husband loves to tell me about his grandfather, who grew up in Russia and was a palace guard under the last Tsar...he left Russia directly after new management moved in (they REALLY didn't want a 7' reminder of the last government hanging around). He died in the US at the age of 104, completely fascinated by any kind of technology he could get his hands on and learning everything he could about this "computer" thing. His wife also continued learning and they both passed their love of learning on to their grandkid...she just never could get over her fear of electricity, it was such a strange thing to her.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    wychic, I like that happy face, how are you, yes must agree never to late to learn....if life were a Supermarket I would not like a sell by date on my dreams.....

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       wychicposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Agreed! I have a while to go before retirement age (I love my job so I don't know that I'll ever actually retire) but I see it as a great time to kick back without the kids and have time to learn some more . I'm doing great, you? We got a fresh snowfall last night so I've just been staying inside and trying to concentrate on work...it's not working very well, is it?

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    donotfearposted 14 years ago

    Never too late!
    I went to college at 34...graduated at 46.  Didn't work in my career goal til age 47! Never too late, always remember that.

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    tobey100posted 14 years ago

    Yes.  If you leap from a tall building and on the way down learn you indeed cannot fly.  It's too late!

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    tobey100, that would be too late..

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    megs78, I cant find the last post on this thread - but I see from front page it was you - so I dont know what you said....very annoying

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       megs78posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I was just referring to what Blacklilly said about getting a PhD in your 70's.  I don't think its a bad idea, but of course there are other ways to learn.  WHen I had said that Canada puts money into programs to keep the population learning as they age, I didn;t mean university.  I meant things like taking a second language, painting courses, glass making classes, woodworking classes, psych courses for the love of psych and learning, not for a diploma, etc.

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    Dame Scribeposted 14 years ago

    Never too late to learn and I tell my kids, never stop learning whatever piques your curiosity. education is offered thru regular school, night school, mail, online, in a variety of subjects, in Canada and US. One just has to WANT to learn, least I think so.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    While I initially brought this thread to you yesterday because of a 70 year old graduating, yesterday evening my story was out done when I read in the paper that, a US woman finally achived her ambition of graduating from college the day before she died and nearly three weeks after celebrating her 100th Birthday. Her name was Harriet Richardson Ames from Concorde, New Hampshire....so there you have it, its never too late to make your dreams come true....RIP that great lady...

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       probafixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       wow!
       
       That`s amazing
       
       at least the lady became a graduate before dying.
       
       really was a great lady !!!!!!

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    gramaryeposted 14 years ago

    NEVER! I went back to uni at 30, and have professional jobs ever since, and continued studying while working, and have now submitted my PhD. But learning is not always about studying. Every day I learn about people, life, love and trivia!

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    Happyontheinsideposted 14 years ago

    I think maybe it's a state of mind. I don't think it's too late to learn personally but I've known a lot of people who think it is...They seem to think it's about age, I'm not so sure. I have a theory that it is more about how tired you are.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    gramarye, firstly let me say I am now a follower, your story is inspiring and wonderful, I also went back as a mature student, my Phd has stopped and started many times, but I am in no panic, I am doing the things I enjoy and life is good, I am delighted to be able to share with everyone here, while I may often go off on a tangent and raise some mad topic - that is just a bit of fun to clear the cob webs.....I can be very serious and anyone wanting help or advise may just ask....as long as it is not technical....this is all new to me

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    I must say I am getting a great buzz from all this positive encouragement for mature students......When I finally got to Uni there was not much going on for mature students...in fact most of the Student Union budget was spent on Raves and other such like.....I started a 70s/80s Disco, full everytime, much love made, many marrages created, I also set up day care for kids so that the women both single and married could do their study without worrying, I was not very popular with the student union because of this as the day care came out of the Union budget...stuff them.....it was great.....prior to the day care there was a big drop out rate among Mature ladies returning to eduction...by the time I left we had it down to 1% drop out rate...and that was mainly beacuse they got work....

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       ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Good for you, and how wonderful too.  It really is difficult to work out formal education at a later age.  Its a shame that it comes down to it, but the devil is truly in the details.  You expect the challenge of classes, the financial issues of paying for college, and the exhaustion from working and school and family, but then getting hit with the logistical nightmare of your families needs on top of your own is a major set back.  I wish more people took the time to make a difference like you did.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    thanks thoughtfulspot, I am really enjoyung this thread...great:)

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       ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Me too.  Thanks for posting.
       OT - What part of Ireland are you from? My husband and I honey-mooned there, and I just fell in love with the country and just about everyone we met.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    just outside Dublin....

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       ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Spent some time in your neck of the woods, although not nearly enough.  I did not want to come home when our trip was over... we even entertained the idea of looking into work visas.  (This was many years ago, and pre-kids... now the grandparents would never forgive us if we packed up and left. )
       
       We started in Shannon on day 1, and drove an easterly, southern loop down and then back up to Dublin.  (We then took the ferry across and drove up through Wales to spend the second 1/2 of our trip in Scotland.)  It was an amazing adventure, and I don't think I've ever seen such beautiful countryside or met friendlier people.  (Although driving on some of those skinny roads took some getting used to! )
       
       Alright, I'll stop hijacking the thread for my personal interest now.

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    EFPotterposted 14 years ago

    There was recently an article on Yahoo! news about a one hundred year old woman who accomplished her life's dream of earning a Bachelor's degree the day before dying. Her name was Harriet Richardson Ames. It can be found on the Huffington Post website. In light of that, no, I don't think it's ever too late to learn.

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    mimranposted 14 years ago

    learning will never stop, you can learn in whole life.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    thoughfulspot, great to hear you had a good time in Ireland...at the moment it is cold.....Shannon is beautiful my friend lives on the River Shannon with her young family....I try to add pics of Ireland to my hubs......I love the country side here...but this time of the year the weather can be mean.....the recession is hitting people hard....so not so many happy faces about now...but we will get through....hope you come back again...best to do it in the summer time

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    thanks for that rebekahelle....great to see so many positive comments...

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    TheVerbalAxiomposted 14 years ago

    Nope, even if your 97 (lucky enough to live that long) you can learn simple things.

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    awareposted 14 years ago

    Ebeneser scrooge has the answer

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    Lita C. Malicdemposted 14 years ago

    It's never too late to learn. A rolling stone gathers moss just as we gather knowledge as we move around. The saying, "You can't teach an old dog a new trick is wrong". People in their old age tend to want to know more about anything and relate to them. Look around the hubpages, you'll see many of the hubbers in their late 60's. I do!

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    marcel285posted 14 years ago

    No way, it's never to late, your brain is capable of just about anything. I have been brain training for the last couple of years, and my IQ has gone from ranging from 115-120, to ranging from 130-145. My goal is to get it up to 160.

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