Appreciate the Beauty of Self-learning
The hardest part of writing is thinking of starting to write.
Isn’t it the same for everything in life? Ain’t we always waiting for the perfect moment to start? Hasn’t there been always an inertia?
There is no perfect moment. The most perfect moment to start is right now. No matter how well plans are thought of, no action means no outcome. The myth of a perfect moment is a convenient excuse for laziness and fear of failure.
The stress of getting down to write has been weighing considerably upon me since i last wrote. I know I should write. I have been absorbing materials but there is no examination to feedback the effectiveness. In school, I knew from test scores. However, there were times i did not believe what I had obtained had a direct relationship with how much I had known. Sometimes, i could score higher than i deserved. Sometimes, i scored lower than i had anticipated. In fact, that happened repeatedly. That begs me to ask, do i really know what I think that i know? Why is it such a paradox when it comes to scores-based examinations? When i had obtained nothing but A, the only thing I was sure is that i knew what the system wanted me to know, not what I should really know, or learn. Is the system really an adequate means of turning me into an individual that is ready for the real world? I doubt so. Sure, there are a lot of techniques to be learnt from tackling examinations and mastering them reflects effort. Sure, doing well in school requires discipline and focus, and that should be valued anywhere. However, it is all that’s to it? Should we be defined by our report card?
Education is a given in most parts of today’s developed world, though the accessibility and quality may vary. What has education done in the past a century has been a complete success for what it had set out to do: bending individuals to become what the system has wanted them to be. Although the values of the system have been constantly evolving, the core of it has not changed: full scores in examinations are celebrated while low scores are equated with a lack of intelligence. I understand perfectly why such a system exists; after all, the world population has ballooned and competition for resources has been stiff as a result. There is a fundamental need to identify the individuals who deserve the most resources and vice versa. Such a system has churned out generations of youngsters who are afraid to lose and fail. In some societies, not getting desirable results is even considered a disgrace.
Self learning helps to kill all the problems. We can learn whatever we want without the burdens of examinations. We can choose what we want to learn based on interests. There is no limit. We can learn without just underling the ‘main points’. We can structure learning within our schedules and in settings where pace and comfort are within our control. Best of all, it can almost be free. Simply put, we destroy all the pretension when we decide to self-learn.
We take charge of our own learning just like we take charge of our life.
