Unlearning in “Enchantment”
This is a series of posts from my reading of Katherine May’s book, Enchantment.
“I need to let go of the part of me that knows better, the part of me that thinks I’m doing it right, the part of me that wants everyone else to believe I’m perfect. I’m not learning so much as unlearning.”
I loved this quote. I think the author is advocating for vulnerability, in allowing ourselves to be imperfect and open to the wonder and uncertainty of life. This—is a kind of enchantment in itself—a call to embrace imperfection and the journey of personal evolution through the difficult but rewarding task of unlearning.
The process of unlearning is both powerful and transformative. We may not realize it, but parts of ourselves ARE preoccupied with judgment, correctness, and appearances.
The part of me that knows better represents the egoistic side, filled with presumptions about the right way to live or be.
The part of me that thinks I'm doing it right indicates a rigidity in our approach to life, an inflexibility that may prevent us from experiencing life fully and authentically.
The part of me that wants everyone else to believe I'm perfect speaks to me as social masks we wear, the personas we project to the world in hopes of being seen as flawless. Might this be a ‘defense mechanism’ we use to create distance between our true selves and those we present to others?
Unlearning is about more than just not gaining new information or skills; it is about letting go of false beliefs and narratives that limit our perception of ourselves and the world. Unlearning, in the context of this book (and quote), is about stripping away these layers of self-deception and societal expectation to get to the core of our authentic selves.
In the true Alice fashion, I’ll ponder a lot about dismantling my learned behaviors and thought patterns that no longer serve me and inhibit my ability to experience life's enchantment.
This image, which appears on the landing page of my blog is sourced from thinkmakeshareblog.com.
