Books and Life Long Learning

Book lovers are a special breed that seeks to gain, integrate and use new knowledge. They like to keep their minds active and obtain new knowledge for the pure pleasure of learning. The type of books a person chooses helps determine what is going on in their head. With the advent of Kindle, E-Books and electronic format books will still hold some of the charm of tradition. 

Life-long learning comes from the joy of taking in new information and applying that knowledge to life. People who engage in life-long learning pursuits have the intelligence, curiosity and intrinsic motivation to spend their time and effort on learning projects. Books are an information capsule using an ancient method of using symbols on papyrus. 

The joy comes from one’s inside that allows for greater discovery of knowledge and application. A few rare individuals may engage in deep processing where they surround themselves in their topic to understand its nature in a real life context rich with information. Such learning changes neuro networks and transforms a person and their perception of the world. 

Books are the tip of the iceberg in terms of knowledge development. Hungry students read about theory but must come to a more integrated understanding of that knowledge through personal experience and practical application. Without reading and understanding first they would have no context to reflect and evaluate the quality of a theory. 

Books are a primary beginning and end of a process to develop higher knowledge levels. Start with theory contained within books, manipulate the variables in that theory, and then place the knowledge back on the shelf for others to use. Books have been a method of transcribing what is actually occurring. 

Society should encourage students to learn, explore, and advance society. We have cultural beliefs that sometimes hold us back from our true development. Today’s world is one of intellect and the time of pure bronze without the application of intelligence is gone. Mass consumption of books may be fading into the past but the love of learning will find its way onto new platforms and methods of transferring knowledge.