Lifelong Learning vs. Longlife Learning.
“Wholly unprepared, they embark upon the second half of life. Or are there perhaps colleges for forty-year-olds which prepare them for their coming life and its demands as the ordinary colleges introduce our young generations to a knowledge of a world and of life? No, there are none. [...] that is not quite true. Our religions were always such schools in the past, but how many people regard them as such today? How many of us older persons have really been brought up in such a school and prepared for the second half of life, for old age, death, and eternity?”
From nearly a century ago, Carl Jung's quote is even more relevant today. It highlights our need for a new kind of educational institution that allows mid-lifers to revisit their truths and ideals and reflect on what it means to live a long life - which is what we're starting to refer to as "longlife learning." As such, midlife education should not only focus on acquiring knowledge (which is the domain of "lifelong learning") but also be learner-centric in supporting the cultivation of wisdom, well-being, and understanding the stages of midlife and beyond. Longlife learning gives you a roadmap.
We've gotten the quantity part of the longevity equation right, adding 30 years in the 20th century. It's now time to get the quality part right so that people can live a life as deep and meaningful as it is long. I see longlife learning as a subset of lifelong learning with the latter being something you do at any age, after high school, college, or graduate school, and the former being something you do starting in midlife.
Three and a half years ago, I co-wrote a white paper, "The Emergence of Longlife Learning," which has received positive peer reviews from nearly a dozen academics specializing in longevity, aging, and the psychology of midlife. To join the conversation, you can read our white paper on this website, where you can hear from some experts on why "longlife learning" is an important new niche development under the category of lifelong learning.
-Chip
