The Journey to Knowledge
Comfortably working towards becoming well-read.
Since I’ve been in sixth form, I have been surrounded by some of the most interesting and knowledgeable lecturers and mentors that schools can offer, at least in my opinion. This has sent me into an overwhelming craze for acquiring knowledge. The amount of things to know about is overwhelming. The guilt of not knowing is overwhelming. However, the simplicity of dealing and living with these is not overwhelming. These are some things I have learnt that have helped in the journey over the six months:
Grab onto a plank
I imagine the acquisition of knowledge to be similar to a person swimming who needs aid and all around him there are wooden planks but there are so many he simply doesn’t know which to pick. The amount overwhelms him if you will. Now he can either grab onto a plank i.e. an area of knowledge and live to become more knowledgable. The second option is to get lost in indecision and drown remaining ignorant. The lesson is to grab onto a plank and avoid losing yourself in indecision. I struggled with this immensely and it made me become stuck for a while. So the gist is to jump in, swim a little and then choose. You can always change your plank later.
Soak up the Subject
Switching from one subject to another is crucial in becoming well-read but the timing should be calculated. Let yourself be immersed in a subject before you jump ship. This is so you will bathe completely in the subject’s essence and let this impact stain over you. Furthermore, when in immersion leave the other subjects and focus solely on that one. The others will be there later; the books, podcasts, articles and others will wait for you. Enjoying the subject is part of the learning process so take your time, you aren’t behind. You’ll never be behind if you acquire knowledge for itself and not as a means to an end.
Superiors: Friend or Foe?
Comparing yourself to your superiors is nonsensical because they have had much more time than you to develop their skills and cultivate their minds. This is like farmers and fields. A young new farmer starting with a field full of fertile soil will not compare himself to his neighbour, a farmer thirty years his superior with a flourishing field. Instead, he would foster inspiration from him and ask for his guidance. It is fatal to look at mentors as threats.
The Present Continuous
‘To become knowledgeable’ is well-suited for the present continuous because learning is an ongoing activity. There exists no point where one becomes fully knowledgeable. Continuity is mandatory in this pursuit. Over these six months, I have realised that my goal will only be fulfilled if I’m constantly filling my time with reading articles, books and journals, writing lists, thoughts and essays, listening to podcasts, videos and lectures and discussing, debating, explaining. Learning means engaging yourself in a subject through all of these actions. In your next learning pursuit, start by engaging in one of these actions and notice how easy it becomes.
Resources
Finally, I’d like to close this article by leaving you with some websites which have helped me in my journey to knowledge.
Websites
The New Yorker
Substack
Medium
The Guardian
The Economist
Thank you for reading my substack, I hope you can take something from it and apply it to your life. Feel free to comment or share any thoughts about the article. And, please, subscribe. It would make my day.
With all my heart,
Christina