I've had so much to say. SO much. But I haven't had time to blog it. Because I'm spending every possible minute trying to learn everything I can. But my philosophy about learning is changing. It all goes back to studying college football.
I spent weeks this summer analyzing every last possible bit of information I could gather on every team in NCAA Division 1 Bowl Subdivision. It started off as an exercise in predicting teams' future seasons, then evolved into rectifying the facts with the pre-season poll, then evolved into a greater understanding of the mechanics of the sport. As I zoomed out on the picture, the corruption and collusion became clearer and clearer. And it doused my love for the sport.
But more importantly, I went from knowing to understanding. I could quote every statistic imaginable, but I was still under the illusion that it was a fair sport. Upon reaching awareness of the evil heart of college football, the importance of the details withered away. I had achieved enlightenment, in a way.
And so my quest to learn all that is learnable has changed. It is now to understand all that is understandable.
Can it only be acheived from learning all that is learnable though? I don't know. Perhaps not. We'll see. I'm trying to start my journey by grasping the history of civilization. From it's earliest beginnings, down through the years, across the continents, to here and now. Maybe I need to start with nature, but I feel confident so far in the lessons I've taken from it.
Namely, that the essence of life is to preserve life. Without that principle, the planet doesn't work. And while warring tribes and cultures are similar to rival packs of wild animals, a healthy equilibrium has not been reached. Why not? Something about civilization has gotten in our way. I don't know what yet. I intend to find out.
At any rate, my meta-understanding is evolving as well. I'm a visual learner, and I need to see differences and similarities quantified in order to grasp them. I need a complete and scaled timeline to understand the length of civilized history. So, I haven't been blogging because I've been attempting to compile one.
Also, I need an orrery that is at once massive yet easily comprehensible.
