Being a Passionate Learner

As they say:

You learn something new everyday.

This adage goes way back to who knows when. Nonetheless, I’ve heard this saying countless times, but do we actually advocate such enlightening words? What I mean is this: do we actually gratify our learning? Do we store this knowledge in a cozy compartment in our memory so that one day we can find some use for it? Better yet: are we willing to spread this empowering idea to others? After all, knowledge is power, right?

I have this gut-wrenching feeling that a good chunk of us seem to let go of a huge part of the life experience that is appreciative learning. We don’t take enough time out of the day to fixate a brief moment of self-reflection on the things we learn. It’s an abomination. We should be passionate to learn about anything and everything from the infinitesimal to the infinite. There’s just so much out there that we don’t know and whatever it is, it desperately wants to be found. We just have to take a step and start searching. It doesn’t matter where we start. Let’s be curious! Is that too much to ask?

Being an undergraduate engineering student, my brain is constantly in full throttle attempting to crunch the countless bits of information that is being spoon fed by lecturers and textbooks. Not only do I have to grasp an understanding of that particular concept, but I also have to find some sort of application for it. Most times it’s an absolute headache, but at the end of the day it’s totally worth it. Each semester, I take pleasure in looking back and saying: “Holy shit, how did my brain fit all that?” (Pardon my French). It’s one of the most satisfying feelings out there. Willingly diving into new programming syntax, generating a profound appreciation for physics, wondering about where we stand compared to everything else in our observable universe, and basking in the sheer genius of the innovators who strive to make the world a more connected place makes me utterly ecstatic. It makes me a passionate learner.

Moreover, we shouldn’t take the foundations of learning for granted. How and why we learn shapes us to be who we are and who we want to be. Don’t just limit yourself to learning only the things that you think will get you through life. That’s absurd, let alone boring. Being a passionate learner is about being curious, being a non-conformist, and going to hell and back trying everything until you’ve found what you love to do. Ask lots and lots of questions. It’ll spark an enormous flux of ideas and you won’t regret a single one of them.

I’m still in school, so I don’t know what to expect is in store for me in the future, but I’m excited. Excited to learn. Are you? Tomorrow when you wake up, instead of starting the day off saying: “What should I do today?” try asking yourself: “What should I learn today?” Go ahead, give it a shot.