RCS Word Power: What are you looking at?
Learning carries our culture into the future; it is an important way for humans to support their own survival. Teachers are important and we are often our own best teacher. We learn from observed experience, our own and that of others. I was just looking at that phrase "observed experience" It got me thinking and I am beginning to believe that there is no experience without observation. So, to get experience we must observe. Perhaps we could benefit by learning more about observation. We tell each other that experience is the best teacher and seldom think of the quality of our observation.
We learn from our experience when we attend to it and reflect upon it. So, we only experience that to we attend. To learn we need experience. To get experience we need to observe and pay attention. So, when we are not observing and not paying attention we may not be learning much or we may be getting poor quality learning.
Our own learning can lead us to a more meaningful and understanding life, perhaps more understandable and understood too.
So, "learn" has much to do with gaining experience by paying attention. One can track or follow a trace to gain experience. And it is fair to gain experience from another; that is any other human being. A great deal of the experience of others is in our history. Much may be gained by observing our culture. Very important bits of culture and learning can come from family and friends. In any case, it isn't always so and in every case it is best analyzed, interpreted, contemplated, and reflected upon. Careful observation is often very important.
"Learn" is related to knowledge and lore, "learned" is too.
Your dictionary may correctly tell you that to learn is to gain knowledge and understanding by study, instruction, and experience. Study includes analysis and interpretation, and so must instruction and experience.
"Ascertain" and "find out" are very similar to "learn" in meaning, in definition too.
Remember, a nice short definition for this word is: to gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery through study and experience. It seems good to begin with good definitions for study and experience. Even so, we may learn about a man by following his tracks. We may learn much about ourselves by tracing our own tracks. That may better done with a high quality of thoughtful observation.
Many of us have learned that we have that we we have too often learned incorrectly. Or perhaps we were still learning that much of all of our leaning may call for update and corrections,or perhaps accommodation to new information and some new interpretation. We can be grateful to have something to update, correct, re-accommodate and interpret. So, learning from lies or distorted observations and finding that that unlearning what we learned was harder than learning it can be tiresome, but not a waste. Our analysis or re-analysis of our past learning can be importantly beneficial. We have learned that much, perhaps all, of that which we experience and learn ought to be re-evaluated in light of our present growth and new data.
Memorizing can be an important part of learning, but understanding is the better part.
One may become erudite through observation and reflection. That's learning. Reflection is like looking it over again and rethinking it. Learning can be the acquisition of wisdom when we are willing to once again analyze our observation. It is important that we pay some attention to our knowledge and skill. What do you know for sure? Is their a better way to do that. To be called learned has been considered a fine compliment; to be called understanding could be a better one.
When there is an opportunity to learn, pay attention, stay alert. The first step to learning is observation.
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