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Discussion » Questions » Education » What are the things you would love to know more about? What is your favourite way to learn?

What are the things you would love to know more about? What is your favourite way to learn?

Posted - July 14, 2019

Responses


  • 5391
    History, culture, science and the human mind, all of which present nearly boundless content. 

    I’m old school, reading is still my favorite means of learning. 
      July 14, 2019 8:11 PM MDT
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  • 4631
    Me too - all of those. :)
    And it's the boundless content part that makes it so wonderful.

    I've heard so many people say that experience is worth much more than anything one can learn from books.

    But I take the view that life is too short to wait to learn only from experience.
    One can learn from the experiences of others by reading.
    I'd guess most of what I know I learned first from words, and then from application, experiment and practice.
      July 14, 2019 8:18 PM MDT
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  • 5391
    Experience is a fickle teacher, but an invaluable one when accompanied with reflection. 
    As I am a trained engineer, my mind responds easiest to the presentation of data in written form, I am then able to apply or develop my experience accordingly. 
    Would that this was always possible.... 
      July 14, 2019 8:46 PM MDT
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  • 4631
    Perfect example! :)

    Around horses, if I had not read on the topics, I would not have learned how to imprint a foal at birth, how to examine the caul to see if the mare needed a curette to prevent infection, how to ensure the first meconium was passed, how to help if a prima partum mare was nervous about the foal's first fumbling attempts to suckle. I would have had several deaths.
    I know of countless amateur horse-lovers whose horses died because they didn't know Crofton weed was cumulative and lethal, that brown snakes live in grass longer than four inches, that a horse can die of too much exercise, too much food, eating tropical and sub-tropical grasses, constantly wet feet, no shelter in a wet year, not being wormed and vaccinated, not having their teeth filed, poor fencing, not being properly trained to handle the situation humans frequently create.
    Every one of them said, "I didn't know!"


      July 14, 2019 8:58 PM MDT
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  • 10037
    Always more to know about animals and nature, and I never tire of learning about it. I prefer to explore it and find out from personally experiencing it. I also enjoy nature programs on National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild, PBS. I've got a pretty sizable collection of books, too. 

    I continue to enjoy learning more about psychology and human behavior. I'm lucky to be able to attend workshops and seminars via my profession, and I really enjoy learning through them. 

    I would love to know more about my family history, but there aren't many left to learn it from, unfortunately. Distance and lack of funds prevent travel to the few who are still around. 
      July 14, 2019 8:29 PM MDT
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  • 4631
    I've always loved animals. 
    At four, wooing a neighbour's tabby - learning what he liked - feeling the thrill of it choosing to be with me.
    Listening to the dawn chorus of kookaburras - a cackling cacophony that makes one want to laugh.
    Rescue a bee from a swimming pool, watch its wings dry off, see it fly away - joy.
    Walks to the beach with Jamie, my plucky little Minature Pinscher.
    At nine, attempted to make friends with a large rat trapped in an empty swimming pool - my finger bitten.
    Shaz, my first horse - for many years we rode the lovely long kilometres in Kuringai Chase. 
    Once, a Wedgetailed Eagle landed in a tree only 4 metres from us.
    Experience, even the adventures of failures, so visceral and powerful - wonderful.

    Often get that sense of wonder from documentaries - Attenborough, Brian Cox.
    What goes with it so often now - grief - global warming - 
    the hyperbolic feedback loop entering its extreme rise in twelve years -
    the magnitude of the loss.
    Have started writing an elegy or requiem - hard territory.

    Books - my walls hidden by them - organised by topic and type - reminders of the journey thus far - favourites re-read 5-6 times - windows into other's worlds - novels (Fallichi, Kerouac, Joyce, Mistry, Rushdie...), poetry (Plath, Frost, Shelley, Angelou, Hughes), philosophy, religion, myth, fairy tales and psychology, contemp. non-fiction on polemics, how-to's on writing...

    I'm no psychologist - but it's one of my favourite fields of interest.

    I hope you and I get to chat at greater length sometime.
      July 15, 2019 1:21 PM MDT
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  • 10037
    Wonderful descriptions about your experiences! You writing has a lyrical style. 

    I know what you're saying about the grief that often comes with watching nature documentaries. I recently commented on this to my son. I saw a program called 'Wild New Zealand' the other day, and was sad to hear of several animals who've gone extinct in fairly recent times, thanks to humans. 

    Sometimes I think I've had enough of humans and contemplate studying more about animal behavior! 

    My appearances here are pretty sporadic these days, but hopefully we will get to chat! I've a feeling we may have before. Is 'Bookworm' the only username you've had on Answer Mug? Your writing reminds me of someone else who used to be here. 
      July 18, 2019 8:49 PM MDT
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  • 4631
    I've had other names:
    Heartfire
    Scribbler
    Nom de Plume

    I think we may have chatted before too -
    but can't remember exactly when
      July 18, 2019 8:52 PM MDT
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  • 10037
    Hartfire is who I had in mind! :)

    I hesitate to bring up what I remember chatting with you about, because I'm afraid it was about a rather negative experience that you had. Although, I remember that you and I are the same, in that we try to learn and grow from every experience, even the negative ones. 

    I've got to get myself to sleep now. Hope you have a great day! 
      July 18, 2019 9:02 PM MDT
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  • 46117
    Didn't you ask this hard question already?  I remember because I didn't know how to answer it and I answer just about anything.

    The only thing I care to know about is what happens after I croak.
      July 15, 2019 12:38 AM MDT
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  • 46117
    My favorite way to learn is passive.  I cannot believe this about me, but being older makes me want to not hassle.  So, I just love to learn by sitting in my lounger and clicking on youtube videos.  Yep.  I am a youtube grandma.  With no grandkids even.  
      July 15, 2019 12:40 AM MDT
    1

  • 4631
    I was pretty sure I hadn't asked this question already, but I scanned list just in case. Nup. For me, it's a first.

    Wow! If you discover verifiable proof of what happens after death, it would be the difference between belief and certainty.
    I reckon you'd rock every religion on the planet and revolutionise the way humans live.
    I wish you success (without having to die for it.)
      July 15, 2019 1:33 PM MDT
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  • I've always wanted to branch out my hobbies into some of the more outdoorsy activities like camping, hiking, hunting, paddle boarding. Have always felt like that was a part of my childhood that was lacking. I've watched enough apocalyptic cinema and television to realize my family and I wouldn't last more than a few days in the wild once the zombies take over.  I need to embrace a bit more redneck to protect those that I love. 
      July 15, 2019 6:01 AM MDT
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  • 10037
    I don't think the hobbies you've described are 'redneck', with the possible exception of hunting. Redneck hobby examples are Nascar, four-wheeling, mudding, Trump worshipping and having sex with your relatives. :)
      July 15, 2019 8:02 AM MDT
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  •   July 15, 2019 8:05 AM MDT
    1

  • 4631
    I've done a fair bit of camping - from bivvying under plastic to the luxury of a two-room tent.
    You'll find heaps of nature-loving greenies and liberals among campers, hikers, paddle boarders and nature photographers - though of course - they're spread out along the trails and really one never knows who one will meet.

    I've been lucky - never met a bad person in the wilderness. Maybe those horror films make much of rare and unlikely events. Or, it might be different in Australia because hunting and availability of guns are highly restricted. 
    .
    One need not choose the extreme versions to still have a great time. Very simple, cheap equipment, a close friend and a night or two in mild weather amid intense beauty - bliss. :) I hope you get to experiment and soon discover how much you love it.

    Protecting those we love - a far more difficult issue in the face of climate change.
    I suspect it may come down to each of us learning how to be better at loving.
      July 15, 2019 1:48 PM MDT
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  • Video production.   I kind of gave it up when I was in my early 20s and my hopes and dreams of being a movie maker were squashed by reality.
      July 15, 2019 6:17 AM MDT
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  • 4631
    No chance of doing it as a hobby?
    I had thought the technology was much cheaper and more accessible now.
      July 15, 2019 1:50 PM MDT
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  • There's a lot on my hobby shelf.  A lot of expensive hobbies.
      July 15, 2019 1:55 PM MDT
    0

  • 4631
    Anything within the reach of your budget?
      July 15, 2019 2:06 PM MDT
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  • I have a camera and make some but my quality is kinda low.  That's all I mean. It takes a lot of time and I get frustrated.
      July 15, 2019 2:13 PM MDT
    1

  • 4631
    Creativity always has its frustrations -
    always worth it in the end.
    It's how we make the breakthroughs.
      July 18, 2019 8:48 PM MDT
    0