Knowledge is Power: The Pursuit of Education
Let us start, with books.
The value of reading had always been a vastly underestimated acknowledgement throughout my adolescence. Growing up in a home and school environment tailored towards academic success, I had been exposed to a myriad of eminent novels, praised for their literary brilliance on a global scale. Some of these books formed part of the school curriculum and were a mandatory component of our education. Others were bought for me by my dad to help stimulate my creativity and read at my own leisure. It is only now, many years later, that I contemplate my ignorance as a skeptical teen to allow these to gather dust on the shelf.
This is an anecdote of how books have recently changed my perspective and outlook on education in the space of just two months.
The shift in mindset first came to fruition when I discovered the prospect of audiobooks. Many figures I follow on YouTube such as Elliot Hulse and Jordan Peterson have advocated their use through an app called Audible, explaining how it can be an efficient way to learn in our busy lives. The polarity of their personalities made me realise that this could indeed be an avenue for adoption by a variety of different people, with the former being a strongman and the latter, a clinical psychologist. Thus, from September 2018, my journey of self-discovery began.
As I write this post, it is now November and I can proudly say that I have finished my sixth book — an achievement that I would have said was almost impossible only a couple of months ago. Such a feat would normally have taken me at least a year with the commitments I have as a medical student.
The number of books I completed, however, is not what is impressive. It is the vast array of thoughts, knowledge, opinions and skills I acquired which I would never have thought was possible. Listening to audiobooks provided me with the opportunity to think about meaningful issues through the authentic and deeply soothing voice of the author — a form of introspection that became almost addictive through the most positive connotation of the word. Additionally, and most importantly, I did not have to set time aside for a book. I was able to listen whilst continuing my daily life, whether that be commuting, spending time in the gym, or waiting in a queue. This is the main advantage I discovered of an audiobook over a traditional paperback. You can listen for as little or as long as you want, not limited by time or space — just plug in your earphones and you’re good to go.
In truth, I still feel that nothing beats the feeling of holding a book in your hands whilst sipping a cup of warm tea at home. The fresh smell of the pages as you turn each one over amidst the patter of rain on the window on a cold wintry evening — this is something so alluring that I continue to try and do this when I can. However, audiobooks have by far been the most effective adjunct to this, accelerating my pursuit for knowledge exponentially.
My aim was to listen for at least an hour a day. This turned out to be surprisingly straightforward. My cycling commutes alone took 30 minutes each way. Any other time I listened to audiobooks was therefore a bonus. In this way, I was able to cumulatively listen for several hours a week, leading to a turnover of approximately two books a month. I was able to lead my normal life whilst gaining wisdom at the same time — two birds with one stone.
For reference, I have included all of these as well as ones I’m looking forward to reading in the future in the “Books” section of my website.
Listening to books made me truly appreciate that we as human beings are constantly learning. We evolve over time based on our experiences and learn to adapt to an ever changing world — an idea first proposed by Charles Darwin that has now become the cornerstone of the theory of evolution. This is what helps us to become better people.
I too desired to become a better person — to continue learning and be able to articulate to my friends and family the same pivotal ideas that I had so thoroughly enjoyed reading about. Thus, my interest for writing began, and is the reason I decided to create this website and, in turn, this post.
“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world” — Nelson Mandela
Every person you meet will know something that you don’t. This is why I think it’s important we spend more time listening to and learning from each other. Let us leave ignorance aside, as I myself had failed to do in my youth, and instead embrace new concepts and ideas. The extent to which we are able to share ideas and form social ties with one another is what has made us evolutionarily superior to all other species on the planet. This concept plays no less a role today than it did thousands of years ago. If we are to continue evolving, we ought to learn more about ourselves and the world we inhabit. Let us keep raising the bar and challenging ourselves in pursuit of our most daring ambitions and goals. Let us strive to become the best versions of ourselves that we can possibly be.
Let us start, with books.
Originally published at thedattabase.com on November 19, 2018.
