Guided Learning

Can anyone truly learn on their own? This question on the surface is nonsense as the answer is a resounding "Of course!" I have learned skills, languages, different viewpoints, and general knowledge on my own, and I do it daily. The opportunity in the 21st century to learn is easier than ever thanks to the internet and file sharing and social media connectivity. You name it, YouTube has a video for it.

The question today is more what you are learning rather than how. Let me rephrase, the internet is a big place. It can be scary, overwhelming, beautiful, and downright mean at the same time. Knowing the internet is knowing everyone and everything; its impossible.

So how do we learn? Access to trillions upon trillions of articles and videos is too much considering I just want to learn how to say "I love you" in Korean. And this is where the issues arise for us as learners. We use others' opinions on how to learn to find information that others wrote on platforms others designed to "learn." Is that learning? Or are we being molded? Is it any different than a teacher telling you how to think at school? No, except now we do not even realize it. Its just habitual to use Google and YouTube and Facebook. And this is dangerous.

I have learned a ton over the quarantine period and I am proud of how I have used my time. The biggest wastes of time were when I used others to learn and schedule and tell me how to learn. My best progress was when I dove in head-first and went for it myself. Allow yourself to find what works for you and don't let the rabbit-holes stop. This world today is already molded enough so stand-out on your own. Your future self will thank you for it.

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