As I am growing older, I am realising how important knowledge really is. Imagine if we were to ask someone 100 years from now what puzzles them about people who lived in our century. I’d guess they would say:
Those people walked around with devices that had access to all the information about the world they lived in, yet, they spent all their time on these devices playing candy crushing games, on social networks and chatting to each other.
The world we live in has so much to offer and so much to learn from. You can learn just by being very observant about what is happening around you or by explicitly going to search for learning material. The internet has made information easily accessible to the extent that you can learn about anything at the touch of a button. It’s quite a missed opportunity that most people do not maximise on this existential advantage. Learning is important in that one understands more about the world and hence one starts to question their assumptions and biases. This is how humans progress, through knowledge and the constant search for understanding.
In the past, people were certain the earth was flat. Even early world maps depicted the earth as flat. This made sense given that in any place with a wide view, the horizon looks flat. Over time, humans gathered more information and became more knowledgeable to the extent of understanding and accepting the fact that the earth is not flat, but actually imperfectly spherical. This progress was achieved through learning more about the world and building up a better understanding. Learning instills an understanding of the historical, social and natural processes that have an impact on our lives.
It would be a waste to go to bed on any day without having learned something new. Before going to bed every day, ask yourself “did I learn something new today?” If your answer is no, do not get into bed, pick up a book, browse the internet or listen to a podcast and learn something. Only then should you allow yourself to sleep. We are learning creatures, the lifelong practice of learning is what makes us humans and our lives worthwhile.
I just had a sudden realisation of how much I could learn from the Internet, after reading your inspiring words……. day in and day out we take the Internet for granted and never consider how productive we can be if we think about the extensive knowledge that it contains