If this mortal life is a time in which we need to learn from our experiences; much of this is likely to be retrospective.
We may fail to learn at the time of experience; but often have further opportunities afterwards, in retrospect, by reflecting on our autobiographical memories.
There are two common wrong ways of thinking about our past: To assume everything we did was right, or to assume everything we did was wrong!
Some people refuse to acknowledge their own sin, error, weakness; and will always rationalize their past behaviour - excusing apparent weakness, error, sin as being necessary, unavoidable, compelled, "not-my-responsibility", a step on the way to something better, or... whatever.
Such people see their whole life a basically-correct and integrated - therefore they cannot learn from experience.
Experience is just grist to the mill of self-justification.
Other people regard their present person as the only good; and their past as merely a sequence of errors that has nothing to do with Me. Here. Now.
They refuse to acknowledge past errors: "That was not me! I was just a kid! I hadn't discovered God/ hadn't discovered who-I-really-am. I was weak (but not any more) - I was an addict (but have overcome it)... I am a different person now."
For such people, the present moment is all that matters, and they repudiate the past. Clearly they cannot learn from experience.
To learn from experience requires both taking responsibility for past behaviour and choices, and also evaluating them as good or bad, right or wrong, strong or weak, loving or expedient...
It means both acknowledging the unity of life (it was and is essentially me), and also the reality of learning, change, development (I really am different).
Learning from mortal life therefore entails both continuity of existence, and transformation of the individual.
