The yin and yang symbol is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contradictory ideas are not only interconnected but how they can also give rise to each other. The concepts of learning and unlearning fit this mold.
If you are going to learn new things, it stands to reason that at some point in the future some of that knowledge (as it becomes obsolete) will need to be unlearned. After the unlearning takes place, there will then be room for new learning to take place. The two concepts are complimentary and yet most people only reference “the learning curve” or, more commonly, the “steep learning curve.”
Why never an unlearning curve?
The answer is because the former is about acquiring new knowledge, while the latter is about letting go of old knowledge. If you possess a closet full of old clothes; a basement stuffed with toys or paintings; or an attic (or perhaps even an off-site storage facility) brimming with material acquisitions from yesteryear, I think you’ll agree the real difficulty comes not in acquiring new possessions but, rather, in getting rid of old ones.
The same is true of knowledge.
Therefore, of the two curves, the steeper—and the more difficult to navigate—is the unlearning curve.
My forthcoming book, Higher Unlearning: 39 Post-Requisite Lessons for Achieving a Successful Future is designed to help leaders, executives, managers and change agents unclutter their minds from obsolete knowledge and mental processes so they can take themselves and their organization to the next level.
To better understand the potential of descending the steep unlearning curve I invite you to read this short parable:
The boy looked at the mountain in front of him. "How will I ever get over it?"
"Use a rope," replied the traveler.
"I’ve never used a rope before and I don't know if my arms are strong enough."
"You have a steep learning curve, then," said the traveler.
"Will I be rewarded when I reach the top?"
"Yes," replied the traveler, "but it is the next summit that should concern you."
"Why? Because it will be an even steeper learning curve and I will need a longer rope and stronger arms?"
"No, because it will require you to drop the rope."
