All we know is still infinitely less than all that remains unknown.
William Harvey
****************
Or, as I like to say, the difference between what we know and what we don't know is the difference between a marble and the solar system. Some people don't like to consider that. It frightens them, or something. I have said that about the marble to people in the past and received a very negative reaction. But if we can't acknowledge that we are ignorant about something there's no hope of learning about it.
I grew up with people who didn't want to know anything beyond what they knew. As a result whenever I expressed an opinion about something I had observed or learned about I was scornfully called a "know-it-all." Perhaps you've heard that term used to describe someone, or maybe even yourself.
The fact that there is so much about life and the universe we live in that we don't know depresses some people. But why should that be? Why should there be a fear of the unknown? And why should a curious person be criticized for finding things out and discouraged from trying? I think it's a very bad trait in humans to close down the labs and libraries and close up the mind.
When that backward process grows into how we treat education we are asking for trouble. Of course, we don't think it's trouble at all. We think it's just making life simpler and easier to live. "Ignorance is bless." "What you don't know won't hurt you." "Don't go poking your nose into things you don't understand."
Imagine what our lives would be like if everyone followed those suppressive rules. As well as my remark about the marble I used to like to make fun of ignorance by saying "All that readin' ain't good for the mind."
Another comment I used to get while growing up was an equally scornful unthinking response to something I said "Oh, is that so?" I finally got to the point where I would say "Yes, it's so" which would generally bring on an argument and I would find myself defending something I wasn't quite sure of. Eventually I learned one of life's best lessons which is that in some circumstances it is best to keep your mouth shut.
When I was a kid I wanted to be an explorer. I admired the people who trekked off into a wilderness no one had been in before, or sailed ships into unknown seas. Mariners who found an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific, or adventurers who found an isolated tribe of people in the Brazilian jungle or an ancient forgotten temple in Asia now overgrown with shrubs and hyenas were heroes to me.
Then I got older, the call came in from the theatre and I knew that's what my life would be about. I gave up the jungles and oceans of the world and went in the direction of a different kind of adventure. I don't regret it, but I am still fascinated by the discoveries of science and original thought.
I watch the astronauts in the Space Station and know that it is simply a gateway to the vast universe and knowledge of time and space about which we know almost nothing. Every blast off of the giant Saturn rocket is just another baby step to peer through that gate into the unknown. I wish I could live forever just to see what new knowledge is going to be uncovered. Evidently my curiosity and delight in learning new things hasn't waned as a result of my senior citizenship. Even though we can never know it all we can enjoy the discoveries along the way.
As for the back seat drivers who want to call a halt to exploration and cry
"enough's enough" ignore them. Their cause is hopeless. And keep your mouth shut or you'll only get an argument and you can't win an argument with an ignorant person.
I always want to know something today I didn't know yesterday, a piece of music I've never heard before, a new useful vocabulary word, how to mix a more mysterious blue on the canvas, an inspired piece of poetry or the realization of some item of wisdom that was in the unconscious depths of my own mind. It's the best game in the world..
DB - The Vagabond
********************
WEEKEND PUZZLE
One item is missing from each of the lists below.
What is it?
2 right answers so far.
Annapolis
Atlanta
Augusta
Austin
**************
Baton Rouge
Bismark
Boise
***************
Carson City
Charleston
Cheyenne
Columbus
Concord
***********
Harrisburg
Hartford
Helena
**************
Sacramento
Saint Paul
Salem
Santa Fe
Springfield
************
Good luck
DB
Showing posts with label learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learning. Show all posts
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Open The Book
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little.
Buddha
***************
This morning I woke at 7:30. In my retirement I'm known to awaken anywhere between 5:30 and 11:30 depending on how much time I spent arguing with my computer the night before. Whenever I get up early I'm always pleased to feel that I have that much more of a day to do things. And what I do is write, paint, read and learn things. In my senior years I've become a scholar, something I had no interest in being when I approached college.
I think we should all be born educated. Youth is too much fun to waste it studying to pass tests. That's one of nature's big jokes. Another one is why seniors can't remember things. I can reel off about 25 to 30 names in the next 2 minutes, of composers, authors, painters, actors and friends. Why is it the only name I can't remember is the one I'm trying to think of? Let's face it, Mother Nature is a humorist. If she weren't she would never have made the koala, the giraffe, the penguin and the wart hog.
A few days ago I wrote about how sad it is that there is so much to learn no one person could ever know it all, but that it is also a joy to know there is always something more to learn.
Sometimes I think about how nice it would be to live in a cottage by the sea, to sit on my back porch with a cold beer, listen to the waves and watch the seagulls do their thing. But that's not my way. I have to be content with an occasional glimpse of the river, the song of a single bird in the tree outside, with no company but a mug of Maxwell House.
I love to learn new things and relearn some old ones. For one thing the combination of a curious intellect and 7 decades of life experience gives one a healthy perspective on the world. It is easier now to tell the difference between what is serious and what is not, and that most importantly includes myself. I spent too many years taking myself too seriously. Now I can laugh. As long as I avoid the things I regret, I can have a jolly time and laugh at myself for getting annoyed because I've run out of donuts or bananas.
I always want and expect to accomplish more than I do everyday. I will be busy writing, painting or reading and become a little depressed when I see darkness and old night creeping through my window. But once again Mother Nature, in her infinite solitaire game, provides me with another day. The sun is up, the bird is awake, the river is still rolling and I have a book to open.
In the mail today I got a brochure from a book club, and one of the books advertised is: "The Overflowing Brain, Information Overload and the Limits of Working Memory" by Torkel Kingsberg. I'm not going to buy the book even at their gracious special offer. I don't want to be told about limits to my working memory just because I can't remember someone's name when I want to. Besides I need the money for donuts and bananas. But I am amused at one of the critical remarks about it from the Sacramento Book Review which says "...the increasing demands on the brain might be just what we need." I'll drink to that. Why stop thinking and learning just because you seem to have passed the Marathon running age? A younger man might say "Why do you bother leaning new things? What are you going to do with all that knowledge?" My answer would be "I'm going to know it. That's what. What do you do with half the stuff you learned in college?"
I rise up in thanks for the little bit I learned today that I didn't know yesterday.
Why do I learn things Mr. Buddha? Because I enjoy it. And as much as possible, and contrary to the nihilism of some confused teachers and preachers, life was meant by the Creator to be enjoyed.
DB - The Vagabond
********************
"These are the last days!"
WINTER QUESTION
(This is not a contest.)
Given the resources and opportunity, what one thing do you want to do in 2010 that you've never done before.
You have Winter to answer. Answers will be posted on the first day of Spring.
Only 20 responses so far.
DB - The Vagabond
Buddha
***************
This morning I woke at 7:30. In my retirement I'm known to awaken anywhere between 5:30 and 11:30 depending on how much time I spent arguing with my computer the night before. Whenever I get up early I'm always pleased to feel that I have that much more of a day to do things. And what I do is write, paint, read and learn things. In my senior years I've become a scholar, something I had no interest in being when I approached college.
I think we should all be born educated. Youth is too much fun to waste it studying to pass tests. That's one of nature's big jokes. Another one is why seniors can't remember things. I can reel off about 25 to 30 names in the next 2 minutes, of composers, authors, painters, actors and friends. Why is it the only name I can't remember is the one I'm trying to think of? Let's face it, Mother Nature is a humorist. If she weren't she would never have made the koala, the giraffe, the penguin and the wart hog.
A few days ago I wrote about how sad it is that there is so much to learn no one person could ever know it all, but that it is also a joy to know there is always something more to learn.
Sometimes I think about how nice it would be to live in a cottage by the sea, to sit on my back porch with a cold beer, listen to the waves and watch the seagulls do their thing. But that's not my way. I have to be content with an occasional glimpse of the river, the song of a single bird in the tree outside, with no company but a mug of Maxwell House.
I love to learn new things and relearn some old ones. For one thing the combination of a curious intellect and 7 decades of life experience gives one a healthy perspective on the world. It is easier now to tell the difference between what is serious and what is not, and that most importantly includes myself. I spent too many years taking myself too seriously. Now I can laugh. As long as I avoid the things I regret, I can have a jolly time and laugh at myself for getting annoyed because I've run out of donuts or bananas.
I always want and expect to accomplish more than I do everyday. I will be busy writing, painting or reading and become a little depressed when I see darkness and old night creeping through my window. But once again Mother Nature, in her infinite solitaire game, provides me with another day. The sun is up, the bird is awake, the river is still rolling and I have a book to open.
In the mail today I got a brochure from a book club, and one of the books advertised is: "The Overflowing Brain, Information Overload and the Limits of Working Memory" by Torkel Kingsberg. I'm not going to buy the book even at their gracious special offer. I don't want to be told about limits to my working memory just because I can't remember someone's name when I want to. Besides I need the money for donuts and bananas. But I am amused at one of the critical remarks about it from the Sacramento Book Review which says "...the increasing demands on the brain might be just what we need." I'll drink to that. Why stop thinking and learning just because you seem to have passed the Marathon running age? A younger man might say "Why do you bother leaning new things? What are you going to do with all that knowledge?" My answer would be "I'm going to know it. That's what. What do you do with half the stuff you learned in college?"
I rise up in thanks for the little bit I learned today that I didn't know yesterday.
Why do I learn things Mr. Buddha? Because I enjoy it. And as much as possible, and contrary to the nihilism of some confused teachers and preachers, life was meant by the Creator to be enjoyed.
DB - The Vagabond
********************
"These are the last days!"
WINTER QUESTION
(This is not a contest.)
Given the resources and opportunity, what one thing do you want to do in 2010 that you've never done before.
You have Winter to answer. Answers will be posted on the first day of Spring.
Only 20 responses so far.
DB - The Vagabond
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Laughable Learning 8/30/09
Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.
Barry LePatner
**********************
A good Sunday to you.
_____________________
Hurry and get your notebook ready because September is coming and that means all the quotes will come from DB, The....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It's a good thing human babies are so small. They fall down many times learning how to walk but they don't have far to go.
Why is it, I wonder, that life's lessons must so often come wrapped up in scars, in bruised knees and bumped heads? Why do we have to wring our hands and say things like "When will I ever learn?" It is a simple matter after all. It's arithmetic. If you do this, that happens. If you do this again, that will happen again. What could be more obvious.
This afternoon I boiled an egg. When it was boiled I turned the heat off to let it cool and came back to the computer. After a few minutes I went back to the stove to see if the water was cool enough to take the egg out. I reached into the water to see. Simple science and very reasonable. But I scalded my fingers. You see? says the Physics professor. Ah, but, says the neophyte scientist, how else am I going to tell if the water is cool? Why don't you run some cold water into the pot for awhile, says the professor in a patient but patronizing tone. Oh, I didn't think of that, says the humbled student. You will, next time, assures the Nobel winning professor. But does he? Of course not. How many scalding of the fingers does it take to learn the scientific principle of cooling a hard boiled egg?
Then there's the geometry of preparation and expectation. Why am I in debt? asks the startled student. Because you ran up too many purchases on your credit card, responds the sage professor. Yes, but I was paying off the balance just fine. I didn't expect them to raise my interest rate so high, said the resentful young fellow.
And why not? queries the wily master scientist. Surely you realized you were living on credit and the bank was loaning you that credit and could exact a greater interest charge anytime they wanted to? Yes, but.... And you got your credit cards from banks didn't you? Well, yes, but.... And banks like to make money off of interests on loans and mortgages, right? Yes, I suppose so, but.... Well, if you put this angle with that angle you have a perfect circle with you left out. Yes, I see, well I'll know better next time, the kid assures the professor. We'll see, says the world famous Doctor of Physics.
But now we leave simple math and reach into advanced calculus. How well do you know yourself? How many more times will you skin your knees? How many more times will you put your fingers into the scalding pot? How much more money will you lose to greedy banks or some scam you've bought into? Me, I'm counting up the lessons learned. But I'm still bumping my head.
DB
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Walk under the parasol of peace.
*****************************
Barry LePatner
**********************
A good Sunday to you.
_____________________
Hurry and get your notebook ready because September is coming and that means all the quotes will come from DB, The....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It's a good thing human babies are so small. They fall down many times learning how to walk but they don't have far to go.
Why is it, I wonder, that life's lessons must so often come wrapped up in scars, in bruised knees and bumped heads? Why do we have to wring our hands and say things like "When will I ever learn?" It is a simple matter after all. It's arithmetic. If you do this, that happens. If you do this again, that will happen again. What could be more obvious.
This afternoon I boiled an egg. When it was boiled I turned the heat off to let it cool and came back to the computer. After a few minutes I went back to the stove to see if the water was cool enough to take the egg out. I reached into the water to see. Simple science and very reasonable. But I scalded my fingers. You see? says the Physics professor. Ah, but, says the neophyte scientist, how else am I going to tell if the water is cool? Why don't you run some cold water into the pot for awhile, says the professor in a patient but patronizing tone. Oh, I didn't think of that, says the humbled student. You will, next time, assures the Nobel winning professor. But does he? Of course not. How many scalding of the fingers does it take to learn the scientific principle of cooling a hard boiled egg?
Then there's the geometry of preparation and expectation. Why am I in debt? asks the startled student. Because you ran up too many purchases on your credit card, responds the sage professor. Yes, but I was paying off the balance just fine. I didn't expect them to raise my interest rate so high, said the resentful young fellow.
And why not? queries the wily master scientist. Surely you realized you were living on credit and the bank was loaning you that credit and could exact a greater interest charge anytime they wanted to? Yes, but.... And you got your credit cards from banks didn't you? Well, yes, but.... And banks like to make money off of interests on loans and mortgages, right? Yes, I suppose so, but.... Well, if you put this angle with that angle you have a perfect circle with you left out. Yes, I see, well I'll know better next time, the kid assures the professor. We'll see, says the world famous Doctor of Physics.
But now we leave simple math and reach into advanced calculus. How well do you know yourself? How many more times will you skin your knees? How many more times will you put your fingers into the scalding pot? How much more money will you lose to greedy banks or some scam you've bought into? Me, I'm counting up the lessons learned. But I'm still bumping my head.
DB
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Walk under the parasol of peace.
*****************************
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)