The Journey That Never Ends: Lifelong Learning Beyond Age
During our travels in the Netherlands and Belgium, one sight left a lasting impression long after we returned to Yogyakarta. In Alkmaar, a historic city famous for its cheese market and canals, we observed many elderly tourists. They strolled along cobbled streets, read maps, or used mobile phone apps to find their way, enjoying their independence without any sign of surrender to old age.
An even more striking experience occurred on a train to Amsterdam Centraal. An elderly woman boarded with a small blue suitcase. Through conversation, we learned she was travelling alone to Berlin, Germany. She clearly understood which train to take, where to change, and how to manage her transit time. Her ability to navigate a complex international journey was not just about courage; it was about her capacity to manage information. She did not grow up with digital technology, yet she chose to learn, adapt, and utilise it to maintain her autonomy. It became clear that freedom of movement is not dictated by age, but by the willingness to keep learning.
Such scenes are common in the Netherlands and Belgium, where elderly citizens frequently travel by train, cycle, or walk to enjoy public spaces. This is supported by accessible transport systems and a culture that views retirement not as the end of productivity, but as a new chapter for exploration. This experience reminded me of the many master’s and doctoral students at Amikom University Yogyakarta. They are not typical students; they are lecturers, teachers, civil servants, and professionals returning to formal education after years away. Many struggle to learn data analysis software, read English academic articles, and adapt to rapidly changing digital platforms, often feeling too old to start again.
Yet the European journey proves otherwise. The greatest barrier to learning is not age, but the loss of belief in one’s own ability to grow. The elderly woman travelling to Berlin taught us that the ability to learn only stops when we close ourselves off to new knowledge. In academia, the capacity to relearn is often more critical than past mastery. A researcher must continuously update their knowledge, embodying the deepest meaning of being a lifelong learner: maintaining the humility to acknowledge how much we still do not know. Learning is how one preserves independence and continues to grow at every phase of life. Our European journey has ended, but the lessons we brought home are far longer than the list of cities we visited.