I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense

I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense. – Harold S. Kushner

You're never too old to learn something interesting. Looks like he's a coin collector.

What does that mean?
To me, it sounds like the story of my life. When I started out, I knew nothing. 8) Since then I’ve learned a few things about life. This, the quote says, is like a book. At the start of the book, you know nothing, and as you begin to work through the chapters, more and more is revealed.

In life, one hopes, you gain knowledge and wisdom with time, and life begins to make sense. It’s the same in a book, with more and more of the plot coming out as the book comes to it’s close. The only problem is none of us will finish the book before we die. Some things in life will simply never make sense.

Why is learning important?  
We as humans are built to learn. Most creatures can pick up survival tips, and some can even teach (or learn from) their peers, but humans seem to be the only creatures who pursue knowledge for it’s own sake. What other creatures care about quarks, bosons and mesons?

This blog is an example of that. While there are interesting ideas herein, none are survival skills. Free time is what is required to learn. If every day is a fight for survival, the only thing you want to learn is survival skills. Once humanity had free time, that’s when recreational learning came into it’s own.

While I call it recreational, this learning is what gave us the arch, the simple machines, buildings, art, improved methods for growing food and so much more. Every day, humans are learning more about our world, our universe, and our place in it. It’s really quite exciting! Well, at least it is for me.

Where can I apply this in my life?
Learning isn’t used in your life, it’s an integral part of your life. You learned to crawl, you learned to walk. You learned to talk, you learned to do math. Every time you read a book, you remembered something interesting, something you made part of yourself.

So the question isn’t where can I apply learning in my life, but how to do it with deliberate planning, at a time of our choosing, and related to a subject of which I have an interest, right?

Grab some paper and write down about a dozen things you want to learn more about. It need not be something you want to actually do, but it could be. It might be something about car repair, how particle accelerators are used to smash atoms, or what is really going on inside the sun. It might be more practical, like how to change a tire, plant a garden or speak another language.

Once you have a list, put a number in front of each one, relating to how much detail you want to go into. If you want to speak another language, do you want to know enough to find the bus station and order a meal, or do you want to spend a summer backpacking in the country and speak fluently? Select your own scale, and realize that the value may change as you find out more about your subject, so plan on being flexible.

For each subject you listed, write down a couple sources where you might get more information. It’s kind of cheating, but the internet is probably the first entry for each of them. Then consider who you know that might have some insight into the subject. Are there magazines or books at the library on the topic? Are there classes listed on the bulletin board or offered at a local school?

Now select the three that are most interesting to you and write down why you really need to know. This is what you will turn to when you hit a snag and things stop going easily. If your reason is big enough, you’ll be able to get past the difficulties. Do you need to feel the satisfaction of cooking a meal made mostly (or entirely) from your garden? Do you consider not knowing how to change a flat tire a serious gap in your ability to function independently?

Now select which one you want to start with, and get started. A quick plan with details on how much time you’re going to spend and on which days would be a start. If you need to go to the library, book store, or school, list the day and time for those as well.

Now, take the first step. Look something up, call someone, visit a store that specializes in your subject and ask questions. Now you have some momentum and simply need to move forward with the plan. As my grandpa used to say “Now you’re learning!”

From: Twitter, @QuoteHouse
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/haroldkush132340.html
Photo by pedrosimoes7