“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those that can’t read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” 

Alvin Toffler

Alvin Toffler’s book “Future Shock” published in 1970, signalled the beginning of the coming Information Age that was quickly replacing the Industrial Age of yesteryear. Reading this book 50+ years after its publication is almost like reading a history book. His quote above is what is at heart the problems of today. There are just too many 21st century illiterates in the world today. They fear change, almost any change. How do we ever convince them to get on board this moving train? There life would be so much fuller if that just took that chance.

I can kinda proudly say that my life quote of

Think for Yourself, Question Everything, and Never Stop Learning

Toffler’s quote above still does a good job of defining 21st century illiteracy. When you learn something new, it is almost a requirement that you unlearn something you have probably held on to in the past. Relearning is about learning something that you might have disregarded, that has now become pertinent. This definition of illiterate is very different from the “reading, writing, and arithmetic” of my generation.

“Never Stop Learning” is often difficult for those stuck in the last century. Many seemed to think that after they graduated from high school, their learning years were over.

When I graduated from high school:

• civil rights for all our citizens was far from being reality.
• The simple calculator was yet to be invented.
• Personal computers were still ten years on the horizon.
• The Internet was still in its infancy and limited to the military complex.
• Cancer was pretty much a death sentence in any of its forms.

I can certainly say that 99%+ of useful information that I learned was after high school, and even college.

Learn, Unlearn, Relearn

That is a constant circle that never stops.