Comments on: Permission to Learn New Things http://www.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/ Meditations on strategy and life Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:06:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mr. Fancypants http://www.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/#comment-10357 Mr. Fancypants Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:00:27 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/#comment-10357 Maybe I'm just too far away from normal, but I've never seen anything in our culture, even subconciously, that implies we need permission to learn. What we do need is empowerment to learn - drive, desire, fear... something. If you are doing more than is expected of you people will assume its for one of those reasons and they will probably be right. The Japanese man may not have been asking "who let you learn," but "who enabled you to learn all that" or "what are you gathering all that power for?" Maybe I’m just too far away from normal, but I’ve never seen anything in our culture, even subconciously, that implies we need permission to learn.

What we do need is empowerment to learn – drive, desire, fear… something. If you are doing more than is expected of you people will assume its for one of those reasons and they will probably be right.

The Japanese man may not have been asking “who let you learn,” but “who enabled you to learn all that” or “what are you gathering all that power for?”

]]> By: John http://www.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/#comment-10356 John Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:54:49 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/#comment-10356 While I was reading Homer's Illiad in between classes at my college's library, someone asked me, "What literature class is that for?" I responded, "I am just reading it for myself." He said, "Why would you do that?" I guess it is true that stupidity is considered a virtue in this society... While I was reading Homer’s Illiad in between classes at my college’s library, someone asked me, “What literature class is that for?” I responded, “I am just reading it for myself.” He said, “Why would you do that?”

I guess it is true that stupidity is considered a virtue in this society…

]]> By: corkhead32 http://www.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/#comment-10355 corkhead32 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:30:14 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/#comment-10355 That's hilarious. It really does make people uncomfortable when you read a lot around them. They feel like you're getting ahead of them in some way, and feel guilty that they're not doing the same. Their laziness-induced guilt then turns to anger against you. Just today I was jotting some stuff down in a notebook as I was reading, since it was a library book and I usually mark up whatever I read. I'm on vacation with extended family, and I heard an off-hand comment like "Tom doesn't have homework in the summer so he makes his own." Jotting down some notes or highlighting does not mean it's fucking homework. I do this because I enjoy it. Some people just don't understand. That’s hilarious. It really does make people uncomfortable when you read a lot around them. They feel like you’re getting ahead of them in some way, and feel guilty that they’re not doing the same. Their laziness-induced guilt then turns to anger against you.

Just today I was jotting some stuff down in a notebook as I was reading, since it was a library book and I usually mark up whatever I read. I’m on vacation with extended family, and I heard an off-hand comment like “Tom doesn’t have homework in the summer so he makes his own.” Jotting down some notes or highlighting does not mean it’s fucking homework. I do this because I enjoy it. Some people just don’t understand.

]]> By: G_Man http://www.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/#comment-10354 G_Man Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:22:11 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/permission-to-learn-new-things/#comment-10354 It is so true that most people think this way. When I started to make a commitment two years ago to reading and learning for my own personal gain outside the classroom, I quickly discovered that it's usually a waste of time to share this with others. When most people are told this, it is a completely foreign concept, and others tend to think I have this weird unnatural desire to learn things for the sake of learning. They completely don't understand why anyone would spend time outside of class studying and learning. Of course, I don't understand how anyone couldn't understand this. Of all the great things about this site and Rudius Media, probably my favorite aspect is the fact that it promotes a culture of self-education and learning for learning's sake, traits that are sorely missing in the rest of the world. It is so true that most people think this way.

When I started to make a commitment two years ago to reading and learning for my own personal gain outside the classroom, I quickly discovered that it’s usually a waste of time to share this with others. When most people are told this, it is a completely foreign concept, and others tend to think I have this weird unnatural desire to learn things for the sake of learning. They completely don’t understand why anyone would spend time outside of class studying and learning. Of course, I don’t understand how anyone couldn’t understand this. Of all the great things about this site and Rudius Media, probably my favorite aspect is the fact that it promotes a culture of self-education and learning for learning’s sake, traits that are sorely missing in the rest of the world.

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