Learning for Pleasure

[andave_ya]

Learning for Pleasure

Can there actually be pleasure in learning? Can there actually be pleasure in having to struggle through a sludgy mire full of everything from dangling participles to quadratic equations?

It depends on what we learn for. Do we learn solely for grades? Coming from a high school junior’s perspective, that’s a ridiculous question, of course it’s for grades. How else would one get into an accredited college or university, or further in life?
But is it solely for grades? For me, the emphasis in my homeschooling studies has always been on learning for learning’s sake – innate satisfaction not only from a high grade but also from adding fundamental material to my ever-growing store of knowledge.

But that changed when I hit 11th grade. Halfway through my junior year and picking up momentum in the college applications process, emphasis has shifted on to my grades. Strengths and weaknesses alike have to be worked on. Especially my weaknesses; my math book sitting smugly in the corner garners a baleful glare. There is a difference between wanting to learn and having to learn. I had to learn that quickly, in the moments I surfaced for air from under mounds of useless information. Only last week I was pacing in my bedroom memorizing Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address when my understanding of the reason why I am studying this material hit me in full force, changing my viewpoint and teaching me that high school academics, even the parts that seemed unecessary, can be fun and interesting.

Why the sudden change of heart? Why did I suddenly want to learn?
To begin with, history tantalized me. That led to curiosity, which in turn led to a quest for understanding. But why should I care about what happened a hundred and fifty years ago? Is it for prestige? Is it for bragging rights?

For the polish that an understanding of academics gives. For personal fulfillment. Beyond that, for the self-confidence it brings. Definitely, this self-assurance will have a domino effect on the people that a person is in touch with.

With that viewpoint, learning is no longer a chore but a challenge. In retrospect, last semester I took a chemistry course at Chabot College. Knowing my weaknesses, I expected that it would be hard and that I probably wouldn’t like it. It was hard, and stressful, but in spite of myself, I relished it. I was challenged by it, and I determined to conquer it. With God’s help, I did.

It’s not hard to find pleasure in learning. If there is anything that interests you, research it. Capitalize on your strengths, and you’ll go from one thing to another, like I did. It is surprisingly easy to go from a slight interest in a specific flower, to the structural makeup of the plant, to the root system, to the quality of the soil, and so on until you find yourself taking a botany course and thoroughly enjoying it.

My learning pleasure is in reading; it is incredibly rewarding not only to be able to tie everyday situations to those in books but also to assimilate the books I read into my being and be able to quote people. It adds a new dimension to life. Learning for the sake of learning, learning and studying for the joy of learning, has transformed my regular life into life with endless possibilities.

If learning does that for me, what can the joy of learning do for humanity? If we are able to find our strengths, overcome our learning hindrances, and extract the pleasure and benefits of learning, what can we reap? Would it be better grades? Higher scores? Better community? Better world? Or is it ultimately knowing that God is the author and finisher of all things?

[Dori]

Learning for Pleasure

Can there actually be pleasure in learning? Can there actually be pleasure in having to struggle through a sludgy mire full of everything from dangling participles to quadratic equations?

It depends on what we learn for. Do we learn solely for grades? Coming from a high school junior’s perspective, that’s a ridiculous question, of course it’s for grades. How else would one get into an accredited college or university, or further in life?
But is it solely for grades? For me, the emphasis in my homeschooling studies has always been on learning for learning’s sake – innate satisfaction not only from a high grade but also from adding fundamental material to my ever-growing store of knowledge.

But that changed when I hit 11th grade. Halfway through my junior year and picking up momentum in the college applications process, emphasis has shifted on to my grades. Strengths and weaknesses alike have to be worked on. Especially my weaknesses; my math book sitting smugly in the corner garners a baleful glare. There is a difference between wanting to learn and having to learn. I had to learn that quickly, in the moments I surfaced for air from under mounds of useless information. Only last week I was pacing in my bedroom memorizing Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address when my understanding of the reason why I am studying this material hit me in full force, changing my viewpoint and teaching me that high school academics, even the parts that seemed unecessary, can be fun and interesting.

Why the sudden change of heart? Why did I suddenly want to learn?
To begin with, history tantalized me. That led to curiosity, which in turn led to a quest for understanding. But why should I care about what happened a hundred and fifty years ago? Is it for prestige? Is it for bragging rights?

For the polish that an understanding of academics gives. For personal fulfillment. Beyond that, for the self-confidence it brings. Definitely, this self-assurance will have a domino effect on the people that a person is in touch with.

With that viewpoint, learning is no longer a chore but a challenge. In retrospect, last semester I took a chemistry course at Chabot College. Knowing my weaknesses, I expected that it would be hard and that I probably wouldn’t like it. It was hard, and stressful, but in spite of myself, I relished it. I was challenged by it, and I determined to conquer it. With God’s help, I did.

It’s not hard to find pleasure in learning. If there is anything that interests you, research it. Capitalize on your strengths, and you’ll go from one thing to another, like I did. It is surprisingly easy to go from a slight interest in a specific flower, to the structural makeup of the plant, to the root system, to the quality of the soil, and so on until you find yourself taking a botany course and thoroughly enjoying it.

My learning pleasure is in reading; it is incredibly rewarding not only to be able to tie everyday situations to those in books but also to assimilate the books I read into my being and be able to quote people. It adds a new dimension to life. Learning for the sake of learning, learning and studying for the joy of learning, has transformed my regular life into life with endless possibilities.

If learning does that for me, what can the joy of learning do for humanity? If we are able to find our strengths, overcome our learning hindrances, and extract the pleasure and benefits of learning, what can we reap? Would it be better grades? Higher scores? Better community? Better world? Or is it ultimately knowing that God is the author and finisher of all things?

I believe all sorts of pleasure can be derived from learning. Some things taught at high schools are interesting, but I hate being taught "only what will be on the test."

It is for this reason that I try to educate myself.

History "tantalizes" me aswell; half of the books I own are non-fiction dealing with some historical period.

I didn't really have any desire to learn before high school. Back then I did what I had to do. But now, I live to learn and that's the end of it.

I do believe we would be dealing with a better world if everyone had a passion for learning. We (human civilization) would certainly advance at a much quicker pace if that was the case.


By the way, I liked this piece of writing.

[Tuninks]

As a 20 year old kid, I would have to say that my answer to this would be limited but I will try my best to provide an intellectual answer.

I believe that it is in the select few who strive for education that enlightenment/ascension can take place. For most people, they gain a high school education/ undergraduates degree and go into their Career and become what I would define as a "specialist" in that field. Yet in doing so that limits their questions on certain fields. Examples could be as such, a biology may understand the meaning of life scientifically, yet his studies in philosophical or religious meanings on life could be limited as the constant search for knowledge on this topic is "specialized" to the scientific study of life.

Now, lets say this same biologist has studied the meaning of life through scientist eyes and in their personal time seeks knowledge on a spiritual level. Now they have expanded their "speciality" to the study of a broader spectrum of life. Yet what of the cosmos? What of the astrological meaning of life and how energy plays the role of "mother" in the universe? As you can see, learning is a constant growth of knowledge on either a particular field or a broad generalization.

If I could give a speculation on myself I prefer to learn a generalized view of the universe. This, in my view, is the most progressive means of learning for you don't limit yourself to one topic. Yet the draw back is that I would have a more difficult time conducting a conversation with a specialist on the topic we were discussing.

I will end this on a note I practice every day, "Learning is a way to show that you aren't an ape. In learning the universe, this gives you more of a grasp at more than just the universe but also you learn of yourself..."

[*Classic*Charm*]

Indeed, there can be pleasure in learning (except for the quadratic equations part!). You just need to be careful in how you express this. I've been told from the time I was young that I'm a smart girl, and I know that I come from a family of smart people. I'm grateful for that, and I want to make the most of it because I know that there are some people who don't have the opportunity to make the most of their potential. Thus, I want to learn and know as much as I am capable of knowing. Unfortunately, this often came across to others as my being obnoxious or maybe elitist. It took alot for me to be more careful about how I am perceived by others. The fact that I want to learn as much as possible doesn't mean that I want to be better than everyone else, it just means that I want to be as smart as I can be.

So yes, there can be pleasure in learning for some. One just has to be careful how he or she expresses it.

[andave_ya]

Dori: Thank you! Do you think liking learning comes only as one gets older?

Tuninks: Thank you! But don't worry about providing an intellectual answer -- I'm only 16 myself. What you said was very true -- and I think I prefer a general education as well. But there is a pleasure in specializing in something. Like books .

Classic Charm: YES! A thousand times, yes! I'm always afraid of coming across as obnoxious or know-it-all, and as a result I intimidate people because they can't tell what I'm thinking, or at least that's what my Mom says. Do I sound snobbish here? Hang, I really hope not. This gets published in a newspaper.

[Dori]

Indeed, there can be pleasure in learning (except for the quadratic equations part!).

WHAT!? Quadratic equations are so fun...

The world needs more Math nerds if you ask me.

Dori: Thank you! Do you think liking learning comes only as one gets older?

Well, I think [most] people take their educations for granted. If one takes their education for granted, then yes, a liking for learning comes when one gets older (or matures, whichever you prefer). If one is born in less fortunate circumstances, they are probably going to view education as a privilege rather than a chore. Thus, there liking for learning develops at a much earlier stage in their life.

[jon1jt]

Andave, you pose a very interesting question. Let me say this: if learning were an end in itself, I bet most if not all colleges and universities would close. Learning for fun is something people do, surely, but it's done "after" they've slaved over some overpriced education or job that many will come to find tolerable at best. Most will never admit to this sad condition.

Just take stock of communities across America with the steady rise of Adult Schools. True learning takes place there. The Adult School offers courses ranging from pottery to military history to square dancing, and the people who attend these classes normally are over 50-years-old, some older. There's the Teaching Company too. These are folks who have had all their babies and families and IRAs and life insurances well secured, and yet they come to realize that there's still something missing, that all the years in school they never much paid attention, that they rushed to the finish line and as a result couldn't tell you a lick about history or politics or art history. It's always about the grade, Andave. The grade is life-giver, it marks one's proper place in society. And the grader is God. It all reminds me of how people reacted when I told them I was going to study philosophy in college. "Oh, but you're not going to be able to get a job with that." As if college is about vocational training.

It's supposed to be about critical thinking. Hardly.

If the system were to give students a choice either to pay a one-time fee for a college degree or to take the 128-credits and be graded according to what they truly deserve rather than the scandalous grade inflation system that governs---and as much praise could be had for pursuing the first---let's face it, most students would pay the bill and be done with it.


Let the maestro take it from here:

"I had to learn to live with the scum, to swim like a sewer rat or be drowned. If you elect to join the herd you are immune. To be accepted and appreciated you must nullify yourself, make yourself indistinguishable from the herd. You may dream, if you dream alike. But if you dream something different you are not in America, of America, American, but a chimpanzee. The moment you have a "different" thought you cease to be an American. And the moment you become something different you find yourself in Alaska or Easter Island or Iceland. --Henry Miller

[Sweets America]

It all reminds me of how people reacted when I told them I was going to study philosophy in college. "Oh, but you're not going to be able to get a job with that." As if college is about vocational training.

Ah, this reminds me so much of what I hear when I tell people that I am studying English and literature! They say 'what are you going to do with that?' and they open their eyes wide when I reply that I am mainly studying it because I love it and that I'm not necessarily studying for my future job, I'm studying for what gives me pleasure right now.
I would of course prefer working in a field related to that but if I cannot I will never regret having done those studies. But people don't understand that. They always see the practical side of everything. Some other people also tell me that I am 23 and it would be time for me to stop my studies and start to work.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Ah, this reminds me so much of what I hear when I tell people that I am studying English and literature! They say 'what are you going to do with that?' and they open their eyes wide when I reply that I am mainly studying it because I love it and that I'm not necessarily studying for my future job, I'm studying for what gives me pleasure right now.
I would of course prefer working in a field related to that but if I cannot I will never regret having done those studies. But people don't understand that. They always see the practical side of everything. Some other people also tell me that I am 23 and it would be time for me to stop my studies and start to work.

In which case, when they ask you what you are studying, maybe you should reply that you are studying to be the fullest, most rounded person you can be, that you are preparing yourself to understand the depths and breadth of human experience as expressed in literature. That you are studying to increase your capacity to understand pain and to embrace happiness.

[B-Mental]

Ok, as a person that taught themselves to read between the ages of 3 and 4. Yes, there is so much more to learning, than making teachers happy....

Indeed, there can be pleasure in learning (except for the quadratic equations part!).

Oh man if you only knew how true...I went from Highschool to 3 years of College, to 5 years of "Please no more math! I failed two classes, and pre Calc and Calc II with the same teacher...who was a good teacher....but I couldn't get it, whew. But when I did get it...after I finished my math class.

I told my teacher...Mr. Johnson...cool as heck... When my brother 3 years older than me was dividing fractions, I was trying to learn about pi! He looked at me for a long time and said, "Well why didn't you say something?"
Oh I said

Here is how I did long division when my brother learned A=B=C= the integer of 3.


Knowledge = Truth = Power = Space

... I thought I could be an Astronaut and not have gone to the best schools...probably could, probably should...but my father was a teacher and when I was young...He told me that they already put a man on the moon!

[DickZ]

Ah, this reminds me so much of what I hear when I tell people that I am studying English and literature! They say 'what are you going to do with that?' and they open their eyes wide when I reply that I am mainly studying it because I love it and that I'm not necessarily studying for my future job, I'm studying for what gives me pleasure right now.
I would of course prefer working in a field related to that but if I cannot I will never regret having done those studies. But people don't understand that. They always see the practical side of everything. Some other people also tell me that I am 23 and it would be time for me to stop my studies and start to work.

Those who worry about such things certainly have your welfare at heart - they don't want you to starve or freeze to death living in a tent somewhere. So don't be too hard on them.

And of course you should never regret having done the studies you've done - they make you a more interesting and rounded person. There is nothing worse than someone who can't talk about anything other than his job, his favorite baseball team, and mindless TV shows like American Idol. And there are lots of people just like that floating around today.

[Dori]

There is nothing worse than someone who can't talk about anything other than his job, his favorite baseball team, and mindless TV shows like American Idol. And there are lots of people just like that floating around today.

That sounds just like my former Math teacher. As you can imagine, I wasn't fond of her.

[Sweets America]

Those who worry about such things certainly have your welfare at heart - they don't want you to starve or freeze to death living in a tent somewhere. So don't be too hard on them.

And of course you should never regret having done the studies you've done - they make you a more interesting and rounded person. There is nothing worse than someone who can't talk about anything other than his job, his favorite baseball team, and mindless TV shows like American Idol. And there are lots of people just like that floating around today.

Yes, some of those who tell that to me think of my welfare, that is true. I am not angry at them. I just explain them that I am a dreamer who tries to live for the moment. I cannot really plan my future. I never thought I would study literature at first. I mean, I never thought I would dare. That scares me when I think I would be a psychologist right now if I had not waken up.
Oh I agree with you about people who cannot talk about anything than what you mentionned.

[Virgil]

A very good piece of writing Andave. It has spurred some good discussion. I will say that most learning that has filtered into my brain has come after I've completed school and took on interesting subjects on my own. Learn what you have to to get good grades and frankly get a good job that you will enjoy. Both elements to that are important: good job (meaning that it will earn you a living) and something you will enjoy. To those that may not know, I majored and got a degree in engineering and after I settled into an engineering job I went to school at night to get a literature degree. The lit degree was for no purpose but my personal pleasure. Subjects like phlosophy and literature, noble subjects, really don't lend themselves to inherent jobs. Either you teach, and many times you don't get to teach the subject you love, or you branch out into other fields. That's life, I'm afraid.

[blazeofglory]

Learning is indeed exciting, and of course there are amounts of pleasures in learning despite the fact that it is not always so. At times it is very exciting and again in some cases it is a boring process.

philosophical things are interesting to me and of course I am pleased that I learn something from them.

In school children do not find learning as a a matter of pleasures, They find it boring. This is owing to the fact that textbooks are not written in a manner they can be joyful or they are not taught in a manner students can be absorbed .

If we can find pleasures in learning the process of learning will be expedited.