ciyates Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 The Buddhism tread made me wonder how people choose what they will learn about. For me it is more about my environment. If I developed a friendship with someone who was a Buddhist I would probably learn as much as I could. Being a military family our environment is constantly changing so I am exposed to lots of opportunities. My husband feels there is a certain level of general knowledge you should obtain, update on current events and be able to hold a basic conversation in any setting. I agree to a point. I am not an artistic person and do not enjoy art that much. I can recognize a few big pieces like Monet's Water Lilies but I am much more interested in oleochemicals and the impact it is having on the environment in places like Indonesia. Do you learn more about things based on your interest or your environment? I realize that it is a combination of both for most people but if you have an hour to sit down and learn about something purely for yourself what do you choose? Do you find that if you indulge in your interest only do you feel left out in conversations? Or are you full of knowledge about topics that no one else seems interested in discussing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 My husband feels there is a certain level of general knowledge you should obtain, update on current events and be able to hold a basic conversation in any setting. Agree. But not for the sake of holding a basic conversation - rather for the sake of being "oriented" in the world. I can't imagine not being informed on current events - how does one make sense of things? How does one evaluate information, for instance from a newspaper? How does one evaluate what a politician says? Do you learn more about things based on your interest or your environment? I realize that it is a combination of both for most people but if you have an hour to sit down and learn about something purely for yourself what do you choose? Do you find that if you indulge in your interest only do you feel left out in conversations? I have never felt that I need to learn about a topic to not feel left out of a conversation- to me that is a peculiar thought. I learn about things because they interest me.I learn in clusters, always have. When, as a teen, I developed a love for the music of a particular composer, that sparked an interest in the person's life, later in his country - and I ended up cooking recipes from that country. An interest in French history lead to learning about geography and studying the language. More recently, I have been learning a lot about medieval history. My friends are the same way. Most of us are physicists - but we have stimulating conversations about history, politics and literature, because we are all interested in the world. Not because we feel we need to keep up with each others' interests. Usually, one person knows more about a subject than another - that's when questions are asked and answers listened to. Or are you full of knowledge about topics that no one else seems interested in discussing?In any given settings, I possess knowledge about topics the others are not interested in. In my homeschool group, that would be physics. With the friends I had dinner with last night, it would be rock climbing and mountaineering and classical vocal music. Isn't that normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I have three different agendas :) First - learn what I need to learn to be a responsible citizen - in the US and the world. Second - learn what I would consider important for "cultural" literacy. Third - learn about what I want to :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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