Learning: Am I doing it right?

Why do you go/have you gone to school?






In our educational system, we pretty much spend the first two decades of our life going to school. Spending our childhood learning. Well, that's the way childhood should be, no argues with that. That morning privilege/routine/torture (Choose one and choose wisely) we do 5 days of the week to learn about how and why things work (Science, Math, etc.), who made things work (History), and what were those people thinking when they made it work (Philosophies, Religion). These were taught to us to expand our knowledge of the world, of its inhabitants, and to give us an idea of how to use that knowledge for the greater benefit of the world.






Or at least, that's how it's supposed to be.







Fact: Students do not go to school solely for the purpose of increasing knowledge.

The key word here is "solely". Students CAN go to school for that purpose. Truth is, they don't. 


Also, take note: Increasing knowledge is different from academic success.




Increasing knowledge means having to understand different concepts, principles, and theories. Academic success means earning enough points that will get you a status above the normal.


Hey, don't get me wrong. Academic excellence feels good. It gives you confidence. It's sowing what you reap. But still...


I can't help but feel that we're in it to look good. Probably not physically, but in terms of academic success. It's because of the institutional pressure. Also because of the peer pressure. They want us to learn and survive by their own rules and at their set pace. 

And then, your employment and future is based on your educational attainment and how much you've learned in the school. Why else would some of us forcibly go to high school/college if educational attainment didn't matter at all?



I think "Working Class Hero" by John Lennon says it clearly.

The first two lines of "The Fight" by Avenged Sevenfold is kinda relevant, too:

"The problem with society's been how do we teach and if they'll believe. We'll fight this battle for years to come 'til we all accept that we can stand on our own."




So how should we learn then?


I can't really say for sure, man, but I guess it's up to you. 

Would you prefer to learn with the pressure set by you or by someone else?
Would you prefer a set standard by someone else or your own? 



Well, after everything's done...After college is done...
 
I want to further study the things I learned and the things I'm interested in during my almost-two-decade stay in school. But this time, at my own pace.