Crossing Eras: The Capacity to (Un)Learn in Times of Change

Last week, I came across a post by Brazilian writer Fabrício Carpinejar, where he reflected on “the last analog generation to walk the Earth” — those who are now in their 40s and 50s. According to him, this generation was the last to experience sending handwritten letters, using landlines and public payphones, typewriters, recording songs from the radio, and watching VHS tapes… The list goes on. In the comments, nostalgia was almost unanimous — readers added their memories to this pre-digital patchwork, often praising that era for what they saw as more genuine, authentic, and human connections.

The contrast between the last decades of the 20th century and today is really striking. Technological change cycles have become increasingly shorter, rapidly reshaping our relationships with objects, people, and the world. This relentless pace demands continuous learning, a strong capacity to unlearn, to let go of ingrained habits and make room for new ways of thinking and acting.

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I once saw an interesting image of the evolution of a Formula 1 car's steering wheel. What was a simple tool for turning right or left has transformed into something much closer to a video game joystick, filled with dozens of buttons and commands — a clear symbol of the historical shift from physical to intellectual skills, from muscle to cognition.

On my last trip, I visited a social project focused on wool. There was an educational area explaining the entire cycle — from shearing the animals to spinning the yarn, a process that underwent radical changes with industrialization. Still, there was an artisan spinning the wool patiently, using a traditional spinning wheel, to produce skeins with uneven fibers that were prized precisely for their authenticity. A fading craft, a skill few people still master. Fine manual skills — like spinning, weaving, or writing with pencils and pens — are increasingly rare in our daily lives.

Another recent experience also led me to reflect on how learning is affected by change: we traded our flex-fuel car (ethanol and gasoline) for a hybrid vehicle (gasoline and electricity). On the day we picked it up, I had a nearly one-hour tutorial on how to operate its digital features — displayed on LED screens that resemble tablets. If our previous car — not even that old! — came with a thick printed manual; it’s now unthinkable to condense all available knowledge into paper. At one point, I thought the only thing left was for the car to drive itself and that’s already happening in places like California.

In the end, what truly mattered to me was knowing how to start it, drive, refuel or charge it, and change the tires. The basics. The essentials. Mastering the new vehicle involved interpreting screens, understanding systems, and even learning new sensory cues — like the silence at ignition or the dynamic 3D camera views.

It was fascinating to observe how three generations reacted to the experience. When my parents saw the new car, their first question was:

— “Were you able to drive it without any trouble?”

For them, such technology can be overwhelming. But for my daughter, it felt completely natural — just an extension of the world she was born into, surrounded by touchscreens, voice assistants, and multi-dimensional visuals.

Long gone are the days when our objects were MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) — phones that just made calls, cars that just got us from point A to point B. Today, every device is a constellation of possibilities. And that demands not only adaptability but also critical curation. We must be able to discern what truly adds value to our lives — and what adds noise.

Artificial intelligence tools are a clear example — released at a pace that’s nearly impossible to keep up with. Having a clear understanding of our needs is the first step in navigating this landscape and making informed choices among the many available options.

In the face of this avalanche of transformation, we need openness, willingness, and courage to change the way we think, feel, and act. To learn, unlearn, and rethink our habits. As we delegate more and more activities to machines, we must ask ourselves: what skills still set us apart?

The risk of becoming dependent on technological conveniences is very real. Mental and physical laziness, low frustration tolerance, loss of focus, and weakened critical thinking are symptoms of a poorly managed digital era. That’s why, more than ever, we must step into the role of protagonists — fully aware of the tools we use and responsible for the decisions we make — rather than passive operators in an increasingly automated world.

#ContinuousLearning #DigitalTransformation #CriticalThinking #Unlearning #Innovation #FutureOfWork #ArtificialIntelligence #Skills