Never Stop Learning!

“There is a theory of human behavior that says people subconsciously retard their own intellectual growth. They come to rely on clichés and habits. Once they reach the age of their own personal comfort with the world, they stop learning and their mind runs on idle for the rest of their days. They may progress organizationally, they may be ambitious and eager, and they may even work night and day. But they learn no more. The bigoted, the narrow-minded, the stubborn, and the perpetually optimistic have all stopped learning.”
-Philip Crosby

Almost 20 years ago now, I was approached by a successful business owner who told me that I was worth minimum wage from the neck down and it was what I knew that would ultimately determine how successful I was going to be in life. He then proceeded to mentor me for the next 5 years.

This changed my life and I'm fully aware it isn't the sort of experience most people go through which is why most people don't prioritize learning at all. For me, learning has been a companion all those years. I saw, first hands, the benefits of reading good books and listening to self-improvement materials.

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

-Dorothy Parker

It's now my turn to mentor others to do the same but I can't just walk to strangers and tell them they need to read - I need to find ways to inspire others by being the example for them to follow.
This blog has been used for various purposes over the years including to help with my mission. Hopefully, you see value in it and I've helped, in a small way, instil a desire for you to learn.

Never stop learning!

The Majority Can Be Wrong

 

“Religion, is a mistake of geography. If you where born in America you are Christan, if you where born in the middle east you are Muslim, China Buddha, and before that Zeus, Thor, and people believed that the earth was flat and the sun went around the earth, though they where wrong & not only that but all of these things have no evidence.”
-Richard Dawkins

Let us suppose that Christian leaders of ancient times managed to sway people's beliefs towards Christianity and that today its become the biggest religion in the world. Does that necessarily mean that Christianity is true?

"The majority is always wrong; the minority is rarely right."

-Henrik Ibsen

Having the majority believe in something without facts doesn't make it true but the opposition, being so great, may make it difficult for any competing ideas to take flight. Scientists of the middle ages were censored when they made discoveries that were against the popular religious beliefs of the day. Time has proven them right regardless but sometimes I wished we lived in a world where we would be more opened to challenge our own beliefs rather than discourage who ever is doing it. Let's constantly improve both ourselves and the society that we live in.

Friends Grow Apart

As a kid, I was told that would have different groups of friends as I would grow up. I couldn't understand how it could happen to me but as I grew up my interest changed and so did my friends.
What I didn't realize, in my younger years, is that a lot of what we had in common was the experiences we shared in school. We attended the same classes, we partnered up for projects, we liked the same sort of things.

Once school was over, and we went our separate ways, we all grew into new people that slowly left our past behind including our relationships.
We're all busy doing other things and over a period of 15 years we slowly drifted apart to the point that I don't think we would recognize each other. They surely wouldn't recognize me as not much remain of the person that I was - I've grown just from a year ago.

I just kind of accepted this as a part of life. Have you been able to keep up with your friends after 20 some years out of school?

The Truth Should Be The Focus of Arguments

“In all debates, let truth be thy aim, not victory, or an unjust interest.”

-William Penn

The problem with most arguments today is those involved are trying to be right rather than to find the truth. In the words of Richard Feynman, "I'd rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned" which reflect the notion that seeking truth and understanding is more valuable than merely being right.

“Though everyone wants to be right, as soon as people start to air their incompatible views it becomes clear that not everyone can be right about everything.”

-Steven Pinker

Why do people want to be right in arguments?

People argue for a variety of reasons, often rooted in their unique perspective, emotions, and experiences. The psychological and social reason to be right can be due to:

• Validation - One's self-worth is tied to being right.
• Social Status - To enhance one's reputation/credibility.
• Cognitive Dissonance - Avoiding the discomfort of being wrong.
• Control - Being right gives a sense of control in an otherwise unpredictable world.
• Fear of Change - Being wrong means that a change in thinking is required.

Those that committed to improving themselves can't afford to have a flaw like this. It's important that we identify and resolve these problems so that we can see arguments as the learning opportunities they're supposed to be.

If You Can't Do the Time, Don't Do The Crime

I recently had a chat with an ex-convict who told me about her past of crime and I was surprised at how much time was lost through the ordeal. Time is the most important resource we have and we're free to do what we want with it. When we're in prison, our life is on hold until such time as we've repaid society for the troubles we've caused - sometimes this can mean that we've missed out on important life events such as, in this case, finding a suitable mate to build a family with. Motherhood is one goal that she likely won't be able to experience.

If your goal is to be a mother you don't need to spend time in prison to miss out - spending time in unrelated activities can also yield the same result. The difference here is, of course, that you prioritized other things rather than been forced out of your goal while spending time in prison.

Why someone ends up in prison varies but if time has any value to you, then you will see prison as a complete waste of it and do what is necessary not to end up there.