Learning Vs. Memorization; The Joys of Education

Professor Why Do I Need To Know This Again?

(Turn to page 394.)

"Why do I need to know this?" A question I've heard many colleagues ask throughout the years. Honestly, unless you have photographic memory, there is hardly a point to memorizing most of the meaningless shit we're told to memorize in school. For instance: Math. There are more formulas than anyone could ever possibly memorize--sure remember the basics, know some of the key formulas, but is it really necessarily to know ALL of the formulas from chapter 1 until the last chapter for the grand go-fuck-yourself finale?

Wherever does learning come into play? Well an oddity I've found is that when a question is written in the same way repeatedly, a student will answer correctly every time. This is ONLY because they have memorized it being written in that particular framework. If it's written differently? Their mind retreats back to a realm of innocent ignorance. Stumped back pedaling to toddler-hood. They didn't learn, they memorized a pattern. The ability to identify why the question is written in that way, how it can be arranged to suit ones' needs, and most importantly what the fuck the question is asking--that is what's most important, and it isn't solely gained from bullshit memorization.

Who Wants To Be A Martyr?

Help Me I'm a Victim of Life! Oh Never Mind I'd Like to Cry Some More.

(Not a Jedi.)

Have you ever met a person that just seems to beg for a box of tissues with every conversation they hold? They prose on about all of the things that are wrong in their life--past, present, and through some psychic ability they picked up, the future. To play the victim is seemingly the only thing that gives these people satisfaction in life. They want sympathy, they seek advice, they want to be nurtured and coddled. They seemingly feel better and eager to make the changes to improve their situation based on the eloquent time-consuming philosophy you fed them. The end result? NOTHING, ZILCH, NADA, FARTS. They will continue to be victims of their own wonderland drama through some sick satisfaction of making others feel bad for them. Great Thor's hammer of gay porn where do all of these issues come from?! 

I understand all people have hardships, some worse than others, but to sit on them and present them to everyone around you on a daily basis? It's unproductive, and quite frankly it's annoying. As some pot head enthusiast friends of mine would say, "You need to get rid of that negative energy, man" (Not implying that all people who are recreational tokers talk like The Dude from The Big Lebowsky). There are no excuses for focusing on the awfulness of ones' own life to the point of NOT LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT. I don't care how troubling the experience is, was, or will be. Is the glass half empty or half full? Maybe there doesn't appear to be a glass at all--well, if of course the focus is a recording inside your head on repeat entitled: My Shitty Awful Terrible No Good Life, Fuck Your Problems: Vol 1.