I was listening to scientist Brian Cox, and one thing he said resonated with me: learning is about understanding. When we truly understand something, it does not need evaluation from others. It is something that happens within us. We realize it ourselves. And that moment of realization can be a kind of spiritual experience. I think this is something very basic about being human. We are not only people who collect information, get qualifications, and solve problems. We are also people who wonder. We look at nature, the universe, and our own existence, and we want to understand. The mystery itself creates a desire inside us to know more. I remember when I was standing in front of the Himalayas in Manang.
I still cannot fully explain that feeling in words. It was not only about seeing a beautiful mountain. There was something deeper. The vastness of the Himalayas created some kind of mystery inside me. It made me want to understand more—about nature, about my own position in this world, about my relationship with others, and about myself. That experience also made me realize that some forms of understanding cannot be measured by others. Someone else can stand in the same place and see the same mountain, but the experience inside can be completely different. No one else can fully evaluate that feeling. The mystery and the understanding begin within the person who experiences them.
But perhaps our personal experiences do not separate us from each other. They can also connect us. A forest is made of many individual trees. Every tree has its own shape, its own history, and its own way of growing. But no tree exists completely alone. Every tree is connected to the same soil, the same air, the same water, and the larger ecosystem. Perhaps human beings are also like that. We are individuals with our own experiences, identities, and journeys, but we are also part of a larger human and natural world. Maybe this is one of the most beautiful characteristics of human beings: we have the ability to wonder.
Before knowledge comes curiosity. Before answers come questions. A child looking at the stars, a person standing in front of a mountain, or a scientist exploring the universe—all are connected by this desire to understand something bigger than themselves. But when I look at human society, I sometimes wonder: how is it possible that we have this deep ability to experience wonder and connection, yet we also create so many divisions among ourselves?
Recently, I have been thinking about this in relation to what is happening in Nepal. It hurts me when I see people fighting and blaming each other because of religion, language, community, or different identities. People start saying “this group” and “that group,” “our people” and “their people.” Somehow, we become more aware of our differences and forget the deeper connection that we share. I do not think identity itself is the problem. Identity is important. We all need identity. It gives us a feeling of belonging and helps us understand who we are. Our language, culture, religion, and traditions are meaningful parts of human life. They carry our memories, histories, and experiences. But the question is: how do we understand our identity? For me, identity is not only about belonging to a particular group. Like a tree in a forest, my identity comes from my own experiences, but also from my relationships.
My relationship with nature, with other people, and with myself shapes who I am. Being connected does not mean losing my individuality. It means understanding that my individuality exists within a larger whole. When identity becomes only about separation, then it can create fear and conflict. But when identity is understood as a relationship, it can bring us closer. We can be proud of our own culture and still respect others. We can belong to a particular community and still understand that we are part of a larger human family. This is something I often think about when I look at Nepal today. Nepal is a country with incredible diversity. We have many languages, cultures, traditions, and ways of life. This diversity should be our strength. But sometimes it feels that our understanding of being Nepali together is becoming weaker.
Nepal has gone through many changes, from monarchy to a federal democratic republican system. Political systems are important, but I wonder if changes in systems alone are enough. Maybe we also need a deeper change in our understanding of ourselves and each other. A country cannot become united only through political structures. There also needs to be a feeling of connection among people. Many people blame social media for increasing divisions in society. Social media certainly has an influence. It can spread anger quickly and make people more divided. But I also wonder if social media is only showing what already exists inside us. Maybe social media is revealing our level of understanding, our ability to listen, and our ability to see beyond our own identities.
If that is true, then the deeper question is not only about technology. It is about us. It is about how we are growing as human beings and what kind of understanding we are developing. And this brings me back to education. As teachers, we need to ask ourselves: what kind of learning are we providing for the next generation? Are we only teaching children how to pass exams, compete, and achieve success? Or are we also helping them develop curiosity, compassion, humility, and a sense of connection with the world? Children naturally have a sense of mystery. They ask questions about life, nature, and existence. They want to know why things are the way they are. But sometimes our education system focuses so much on finding the correct answer that we forget the importance of asking questions.
Learning is not only about collecting information. It is about developing understanding. It is about learning how to think, how to listen, how to connect, and how to see the relationship between ourselves and the world around us. As teachers, perhaps our responsibility is not only to prepare children to use the world, but also to help them understand that they belong to the world. They should learn science and technology, but they should also learn wonder, respect, and responsibility. Science itself teaches us humility. The more we discover about the universe, the more we realize how much we do not know. True understanding does not make us feel superior. It makes us humbler and more connected.
The mystery of nature and our desire to understand that mystery may be one of the deepest parts of being human. True understanding does not divide us. It connects us. Maybe the crucial question for education today is not only how much knowledge we can give to children, but what kind of human beings we help them become. Can we help them see their identity like a tree in a forest, unique and valuable in itself, but also deeply connected with nature, society, and the larger human family? Perhaps this is where true learning begins.
