On Learning

First and foremost, I love my mind. I know I'm attractive and I honestly am not so dense as to think I could compare myself to how I might feel if I looked differently. But in this body and this mind, my mind trumps looks every day. It's my best feature. My looks, aesthetics, the importance of pretty, all that is unimportant. It's nice. And I like to dress up and look attractive. But I'd trade all that for more learning and knowledge.

Seriously. If a university told me I could trade my face for tutition, I'd do it in a hot minute. I'd love to get my Masters, not necessarily because it could further my career (because you don't really need a Creative Writing MFA to write), but to increase my knowledge. But, hell, maybe I'd get a degree in something else, even though I'm a writer through and through. Did you know I have two AAs? One in English and one in Marketing, and my BA is in Literature.

But I happen to think my brain is sexy as hell. 

I love to learn. Most of my life was spent reading a book. But some of my best memories were in discussion in a classroom. I can't read something new or learn something that changes my mind and not share it, because I think it's so important to pass knowledge on.

It's frustrating to me that there's so much to learn and only so little time and resources. I wish I could find more time to read. I need learning in my life. I need people around that think critically. That analyze the world and seek out knowledge. That challenge my mind to grow and think and learn.

I really don't quite understand those who don't care about learning. Not that I don't respect their interests or whatever. I just don't understand it. It's such a huge part of my being that I simply cannot empathize with another perspective. Why wouldn't you want to know everything there is to know? I understand not being interesting in a particular topic, but I don't understand not wanted to know new things at all.

I'm a seeker. I need to travel. I need to discover the world and see places I've never seen and learn about their histories and cultures and norms and cuisines. I can't imagine just being happy in my little life, sitting in a bubble, not needing to break out and become affected by the differences of the world.

That's what it is. Unlike conquerors of the past, I don't want to change world by who I am. I want it to change me. To show me new ways of living, of thinking, of believing. I may not yield easily in some aspects of my thinking, but knowing more and more about different modes of thought expands our ability to think broadly and respect others' differences.

I want to learn all I can about governments and politics and policies. One thing I learned when living in France was not that the French do it best (which is what I expected to learn going there). Instead I learned that no one does it best. No one. We're all bumbling around this planet doing the best we can, trying to live. I like what some nations do in certain ways and not so much in others. And some nations just have it bassackwards. But if we think we're the best, we'll never learn to do it better.

I want to keep informed about what's going on in the places I live and in the world. I also don't understand how people don't care about that. These things affect us directly as citizens and residents and, hell, as people. I really don't get not caring. I mean, live your life. But at least recognize that if you're not informed or you don't get involved, you forfeit your right to care what happens.

But who would you? It's so exhilarating to learn and absorb and digest knowledge. There's nothing sexier than a sharp mind. And nothing more exciting than someone who challenges me to a debate, who puts my mind to the test, who helps me learn about the obscure or interesting.