Why learn? A first-hand experience

Many of us may have pondered over the question, Why should I learn a new skill or technique?. Learning requires time, effort, focus and determination. It's not easy to find all that and commit oneself to the same. People may learn with different objectives in mind - to get a new job in a domain where that skill is valued, to pass a certification exam that may open up new avenues, to improve productivity and thereby save time, to get more done in the given time, to safeguard oneself etc. Even so, during the course of learning, one may slack off and the motivation may drop. I have been through the same cycles as well but wish to share here an experience that made me believe in the power of learning.

We all have heard about first aid and that it can come in very handy at the appropriate moment to help someone out of their misery. Many of us may have even attended one or more first aid workshops where you are taught to do simple things - tie a bandage, wash a wound, the right way to support a possibly fractured limb, treat a burn or ease a person's breathing. The slightly more advanced techniques may comprise of giving CPR, providing assistance to a person who has been rescued from drowning, using a defibrillator, identify someone having a stroke and help appropriately, help someone recover from choking etc. I have learnt some of these too but it is natural that one loses touch with what is learnt, over time. Sometimes I have wondered whether it was even useful learning about first aid. 

Once I was working at my desk post lunch. I noticed a colleague of mine pass by my desk and to the restroom a few times. Perhaps an upset tummy post lunch is what I reasoned. Then I heard cough that was loud enough to be heard outside the restroom. As I was about to get up, I saw my colleague walk past me again and this time I noticed that he was in some discomfort and that his was face was redder than usual. For a moment I thought it would be impolite to ask what's up and perhaps even an invasion of privacy. However I could not hold myself back and stepped up to inquire. He was finding it hard to speak and explain coherently but eventually managed to convey that something was probably stuck in his throat. That was choking him and causing him difficulty in breathing. 

There was a medical room on-site but that was a few floors below and at the time, I was unsure of the exact working hours. In a flash, I remembered a first aid training that I went through where they had described the Hiemlich Maneuver as a technique where abdominal thrusts can be given between the navel and the chest to expel any object that may be blocking the airway.

With this colleague by my side, I opened up images on my computer of the Hiemlich Maneuver and showed him what could be done and that I was willing to try the same to help him out. He agreed and I accompanied him to the restroom where I asked him to relax however much he could and then performed the Hiemlich Maneuver on him a few times. By the third or fourth abdominal thrust, a piece of grated carrot got expelled from his airway and he was able to spit that out. Almost immediately, he was relieved and in tens of seconds, I saw that the redness of his face reduced and his breathing came back to normal. We sat in our floor's cafeteria for a few minutes and when he regained composure in full, we walked back to our seats. 

Things ended on a happy note and later that day, this colleague of mine quietly placed a chocolate bar on my desk with a thank you note. Though that person longer works at the same place as I do, that incident forged a bond.

This experience made me believe and embrace learning wholeheartedly - be it a language, skill, technique or method. Learning makes you better equipped to react to situations and take decisions based on awareness. You may never know when the knowledge that you have, may be called into action. So, keep learning without having second thoughts!