iHCPL # 2: Learning

I love to learn. To stretch my cognisance and challenge what I think I know. I don't understand people who don't want to learn, or don't care about their education. Knowledge is one of the most important possessions a person can have. Knowledge can keep you alive, keep you sane, help you relate to the world and people around you. There are almost no limits to the benefits of knowledge. My mind boggles at the thought of the purposfully ignorant.

Not everyone is an academic, so I can understand why a person wouldn't go to college, or why someone wouldn't care to learn about the intricacies of written Literature. However, my hope for those people would be that they pursue some further training, either mechanical or technological, something to keep their brains active. In my opinion, you are never too old to learn something new. I hear people say "I'm too old to go back to school", or "I'm too old to change careers". That is simply not true. Change may not be easy, in fact it can be very difficult, but the rewards can vastly out way the difficulty.

Learning is not restricted to one subject. Even if you are not interested in learning about the chemical makeup of mud, or the physics of why a plane flies, or the literary depths of a great work, you can still learn throughout your entire life. Learn how to craft and the history inherent in that skill. Learn about engines, the different types and how they work. Take up hobbies such as astonomy, bird watching, logic puzzles or teaching ESL. Don't get stuck in a non-learning rut.


Learning keeps the mind open and flexible. If you do not learn new things, it is likely that you will become stagnant in your thoughts and ideas. If you don't learn, it becomes difficult to think out side the box, let alone create a whole new box. And I am not just talking about academic learning. You can learn from all sorts of sources, books, movies, magazines, Internet, other people, nature. The world around you is overflowing with learning possibilities. Look at a flower, study it's leaves, petals, pollen, learn how it is put together. How does it reflect the world around it? Does it resemble something else you have seen? Does it inspire you?


A person can learn something from the most mundane of objects, if they look close enough. If they take the time. The point is to retain the desire to learn. Don't get lazy and complacent. Don't get home from work, turn the TV on and turn off your brain. Challenge the world around you, challenge what you know. You don't have to learn a lot at once, just keep learning.