Neverending College
I never attended a college or university, much to my profound regret. When I reflect back to my level of performance in High School, I find myself cringing a bit. It’s the age old lament of our parents that has come back to haunt me, if I only I had applied myself…
However, I have realized two things over the course of the last fifteen years:
One, regardless of what education level you have, it doesn’t and should not end there. A diploma or degree does not endorse you as having the knowledge of the ages, nor is it justification to disengage the mind and bring to a close the process of learning altogether.
Secondly, the head that rests atop my shoulders functions as a poor decoration. With that being true, it seemed only natural that I find some better uses for it. As a result, it’s seldom that a moment will pass when my mind is not actively crunching on some train of thought. Bear in mind that when I say that, I am not referring to my current dinner plans, or last nights football score. My ruminations often lead me to deeper matters, to topics typically avoided by saner men.
It does have its drawbacks, the most common one being a sort of mental fatigue. The times when I can let my mind relax and remain blank have become precious. It’s a lot like the bone deep weariness that a marathon runner feels when finally taking a rest after the race is done. However, it does tend to suck at 3 am when all I want to do is sleep, yet my mind is bedeviled with thoughts that won’t rest.
Nevertheless, the benefits cannot be overstated. When you spend a large portion of time sifting through ideas about religion, politics, history, and human behavior (just to name a few), you achieve a deeper appreciation and understanding of each, and how they relate to one another [1. Yet for some reason, I am STILL unable to comprehend my own health insurance…].
While I will never go down in history as being one of the world’s greatest thinkers, I have put myself into a sort of never-ending college. I don’t claim to be an intellectual, or that I am somehow any smarter than anyone else. However, when my time is done, I would hope that no one could accuse me of having never engaged in the act.
