A Learner Identity

  Throughout my life, I believe I have identified myself as a kind of "lifelong learner". What this means for me is the ability to see myself in different capacities, always challenging myself to expand my problem solving abilities or ability to widen my perspectives. Having a "learner" identity keeps me focused on process (rather than on result) while not tying me to any particular "fixed" sense of identity. For instance, if I see myself as a "learned" person, I might come to the conclusion that I have learned all that needs to be known about a subject or even about life in general. This can lead to stagnation. So I do think it's important to view learning as an ongoing experience, not something that just stops at a certain time. According to this view, learning is not finalistic, and nor is there any final judgment. Instead, we take whatever we can find from our experiences and try to apply it to our unique situations. 

   Part of this also dovetails with my previous discussion about the connection between gratitude and emptiness. If one is not feeling gifted by life, chances are they are stuck in a rigid belief in who they are and what they are supposed to have achieved from a situation. When one is able to reframe the multitudinous possibilities of one's life situation, then there is no absolute "good" or "bad". In fact, this flexibility of mind is in itself a recipe for happiness, because it does not demand that the self be anywhere to have succeeded or to have survived. Instead, the idea is that we are flexible enough to see the possible learning opportunities of a given moment or experience.