Learning never stops. It begins before birth, in the earliest glimmer of consciousness, when certain sounds or movements or even tastes begin to soothe or agitate the new human growing--and learning --within. Real learning begins when we enter the world, with our lives now a cinematic fast forward through first steps and tying our own shoelaces; to a first bus ride, algebra test, driving test, and swim test; thorugh learning to cook and dance and play an instrument,; from being hired and fired and falling in and out of love-- the gamut of lived human experiences, all of which, in their own way, teach us things. They are rites of passage, or life lessons.