There are many books, both the deep kind and the shallow, about education. What makes a good one? What good is an education, etc.etc.There was a popular book in the Middle Ages called The Consolations of Philosophy. There could be one on the Consolations of Education.
it can be a big comfort to know that others have faced the same questions and difficulties that face us. Should we let our parents arrange a marriage for us or should we arrange one for ourselves? Should we enter a highly religious life or work in retail or repair cars or what? Is our government mis-using its power? Is technology dominating our lives? Is science leading us all astray? How did we get here? Why are we here? Should we strive to be happy or good or both or what?
It can be fun and satisfying to get a handle on what the Bible, the ancients, the Middle Ages and the moderns have thought about such questions and their answers. Just about any position you can imagine has been adopted by somebody. How they lived and what they thought can be helpful when we are facing the same or similar questions.
I find modern computers and their offspring, such as electronic books very helpful in trying to get a feeling for any subject. Some moderns I know like to start any research or learning project with Google. The woman who runs the campus lab where I am a volunteer just told me that she needs help with Excel pivot tables. Pivot tables! Haven't heard those words for ten years. I needed to refresh my knowledge. I did what I always do, looked in Amazon Kindle books for something I could afford and could download in an instant. Found a fine book. Got a bit of a refresher and am on the way to being able to help.
But while writing this post, I thought about YouTube. A relative worked with YouTube videos to improve his ability on a soccer team. Another used it to improve his guitar technique. So, I thought why not check "pivot tables". True, the topic is a specialized one, a way of slicing and dicing data with Excel. But, Excel is very popular so it is really no surprise that there are many good videos about using Excel pivot tables waiting for me.
That is the way it is these days. Worried about an aging parent? Can't pay your tax bill? Car won't start? Check it out online. Got bigger, vaguer worries? What about your religion? Fading ability to play the piano? Check the problem online. After a little while, doing so gets to be second nature and you check out things more quickly and easily. You have more confidence. You may even get to the point where you are referred to something you already know well.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
