Terry O'Banion, League for Innovation in the Community College All human beings, by nature, desire to know. In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. This characteristic of learning implies two things. First, it implies that learning is a natural condition of being human.
Humans inherently look for opportunities to create meaning from new situations.
The second implication of this characteristic is that learning can and should continue throughout a person's life. In fact, research has shown that new synaptic connections can continue to be generated and reused throughout the life cycle. The fact that learning should continue throughout our lives is also supported by findings in the world of work. A strong back, the willingness to work, and a high school diploma were once all that was needed to make a start in America. They are no longer.