Summary – Collaboration with Claude AI

Through my participation in the Purple Space community, I discovered Rohan Rajiv’s “A Learning a Day” blog which I’ve read daily for the past year. Recently, a phrase from his “About” section deeply resonated with me: writing continues to inspire a learning-focused mindset that values becoming over being.

This philosophy mirrors how my twin Don and I have approached our careers—focused on learning and improving incrementally over years rather than reaching a final destination. We strive to learn and grow continually.

This theme also aligns with my reading of Stoicism. As Ryan Holiday explains in his Daily Stoic post, “To be a Stoic is to be a lifelong student… to know that wisdom is an endless pursuit, to believe one never graduates.”

It’s interesting to consider how many adults view education as something that ends with formal schooling. Yet historically, figures like Marcus Aurelius and Cato prioritized ongoing education throughout adulthood. Marcus, even as emperor, carried books to attend philosophy lectures, saying “learning is a good thing, even for one who is growing old.”

Don and I encourage us all to embrace this journey of continual learning and set an example for others. The “becoming” reflects our growth process, while our “being” represents who we are in our daily presence within our families, communities, and the world. We never graduate from the need for learning—it’s a lifelong commitment to improvement.

Thanks to my participation in the Purple Space community of practice, I became aware of Rohan Rajiv’s daily blog, “A Learning a Day.” Over the past year, I have read this blog daily, and I have enjoyed the variety of Rohan’s postings.

I recently reviewed Rohan’s ABOUT section of his website, and a phrase that is worth contemplating our perspectives on accomplishments and reaching goals in our lives resonated with me. The full text is included below, and the bold emphasis is mine:

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About the author

Hi! Thanks for making it here. My name is Rohan. I have been writing daily notes on this blog since May 12 2008-–doing so has changed my life.

My mission is to…

(1) …contribute positively to the world by working on things that matter

(2) …build meaningful relationships by playing long-term games with long-term people

(3) …learn by seeking new experiences and not fearing mistakes 

Contribution and relationships are important to me because they’ve been shaped by the loss of loved ones when I was growing up. And, learning matters because of what I’ve learnt from writing everyday on this blog.

The discipline of writing every day has given me the confidence in my ability to keep my own word. It has served as an outlet for my obsessive attention to contribution and taught me to contribute by first being the change I wish to see in the world. Most importantly, it continues to inspire a learning-focused mindset that values becoming over being.

I currently work as a Product Manager at LinkedIn working on products that help job seekers find jobs. I previously worked as a management consultant working primarily across Europe and Asia sandwiched between an MBA and B. Eng from the Kellogg School of Management and the National University of Singapore respectively. More on my Linkedin – of course. 🙂

My wife and I became parents in Nov 2016. Our parenting philosophy is an attempt at living Khalil Gibran’s masterpiece – “On Children.”

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This is worth repeating: It [writing] has served as an outlet for my obsessive attention to contribution and taught me to contribute by first being the change I wish to see in the world. Most importantly, it continues to inspire a learning-focused mindset that values becoming over being.

“A learning-focused mindset that values becoming over being.”

Twin Don and I have lived our careers focused on learning and improving incrementally over the long haul of years. There is no arrival at a destination; we strive to learn and grow continually.

The theme Rohan explains here aligns perfectly with my reading and learning of Stoicism. I, and all who read the Stoicism philosophy, are on a path of lifelong learning with no destination. The goal is continual improvement. Ryan Holiday explains in this Daily Stoic post, “This Is What It Means To Be A Stoic.”

“To be a Stoic is to be a lifelong student. It’s to follow in the footsteps of Hadrian and Marcus and Cato and Thrasea. It’s to know that wisdom is an endless pursuit, to believe one never graduates, one never arrives at some final destination of education.“

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The full text of the blog post:

“It’s sort of strange—if you think back to when you were a kid, what appeared to you to be the best part about being an adult? No more school. Because that’s the example adults by and large set: that education stops. That adulthood is like one long summer break. That graduation is the final destination of learning and studying and investing in your education.

This is a relatively recent phenomenon. Not that long ago, adults prioritized their own education as much as their kids. There’s the story of Epictetus teaching one day when a student’s arrival caused a commotion in the back of the room. Who was it? Hadrian, the emperor. Hadrian’s example clearly had an impact on his successor and adopted grandson, Marcus Aurelius. Late in his reign, a friend spotted Marcus heading out, carrying a stack of books. Where are you going? he asked. Marcus was on his way to a lecture on Stoicism, he said, for “learning is a good thing, even for one who is growing old. I am now on my way to Sextus the philosopher to learn what I do not yet know.” In adulthood, Cato had the Stoic philosopher Athenodorus Cordylion come live with him so he could continue his studies. Thrasea, one of the Stoics who challenged Nero, continued his studies up until his last breath. In fact, he was discoursing and studying with Demetrius the Cynic when his death sentence from Nero arrived.

This is what it means to be a Stoic. To be a Stoic is to be a lifelong student. It’s to follow in the footsteps of Hadrian and Marcus and Cato and Thrasea. It’s to know that wisdom is an endless pursuit, to believe one never graduates, one never arrives at some final destination of education.

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Embrace the journey of continual learning and set an example for others to follow. Let’s keep learning and becoming. The “being” is who we are and our daily presence in our family, community, and world. We do not graduate from the need for learning.