Of learning

If there's anything I ever learned with this blog, it was how important it is to get the hands dirty. That's vital for learning, realizing how much I don't know. And that reminds me of one formula I once thought of but forgot about: Learning comes from interest comes from curiosity comes from doubt comes from mistakes.

All the testing of this idea came from my observations of maps. When I picture the european map in my head, I think I know it pretty well, so when I look at a real map I don't really pay too much attention. However, when I try to draw it without reference, I understand how I know shit about it. The funny thing is, when I look at the map again after this, my eyes will almost involuntarily track down every part I've came to a full-stop before, completely puzzled (that's you, Greece and Turkey). The information may not be retained for too long, but man does that trigger up the interest.

And that's pretty much the approach I like when it comes to learning. I feel I really absord the content when I think about it before, facing blanks and meeting doubts. It's not a oh-my-god-I'll-learn-the-history-of-everything-in-one-hour-with-this, but it's something that seems to noticeably enhance my learning process.