How To Cultivate A Passion For Learning

[Huz]

Hi fellow amazing people,

I have been brought up within a very materialistic culture. Especially derived from my family who value success, money, and spending it on stupid shit. Which gives you some excitement at the start but then dies down. And they don't see that it doesn't work. I mean they are unconsciously successful. 

I have always been like a lone wolf in my family in a way. I have been and allowed myself to be manipulated and abandoned by people as a young child and that has cause me to isolate with people due to fear of them leaving me again. But this is good because it has aloud me to contemplate about society etc. 

I realise that they still have a big influence. I guess I have been around them for along time and I still value excitement over knowledge and learning in some way, because that's ingrained within our family. 

I want to develop a deep passion for independent learning and wisdom. But I find reading books boring. It's something I want to change. What can I do to really dig deep into knowledge. The thing is I study well at uni but independently I would rather do something that exites me like improv, comedy, or watching shit. It's a form of procrastination and sensory titilation. And stopped me from doing heavy research. Any tips to overcome this mental block?

 

Edited December 9, 2016 by Huz

[Pramit]

Start by watching other professors. Watch Erik Lander in MITx 7.00x as i've told you before.

 There is nothing wrong with valuing excitement over learning. In fact, they go togeather sometimes. Learning is exciting, you just don't know that yet. May be you can try looking at things differently, and watching professors excite you is a good way to do that (or reading exciting books about the subject). 

Learning isn't about reading books, it is a process of discovery. It is ingrained into reality, because that's all learning is. 

Here, watch this : 

  (found it when i was watching a seminar on host microbe interaction, this is how you want to learn. Learning everything about the subject, from the people involved, to the effect it can have on your life) 

Edited December 9, 2016 by Pramit

[AlwaysBeNice]

I'd say it's naturally there but you are too distracted with a mind and emotional body full of fear that you won't be in a flow state when looking at information. 

[Pav]

I don't think it's something you can force, stuff is just really fucking interesting.

If you find improv or comedy enjoyable then do those things. You're always learning no matter what you do, learning is not something reserved you those who read books.

[ajasatya]

@Huz i found this method that works for me: read a book while listening to its audiobook.

as an example, i recommend the deep experience i had with this

• book
• audiobook

[Shin]

Quote

I want to develop a deep passion for independent learning and wisdom.

Why, and on what subject ?

Seriously, ask yourself that, honestly.

If you don't have a strong emotion by hearing the answer, don't listen to the voice inside your head, because it is lying (then ask the question again).

 

Quote

 

The thing is I study well at uni but independently I would rather do something that exites me like improv, comedy, or watching shit.

 

 

The thing you learn at the university, are you passionate about them ?

 

Do you meditate ?

 

Edited December 9, 2016 by Shin

[Huz]

Thanks guys, was helpful advice!

10 hours ago, Pramit said:

Start by watching other professors. Watch Erik Lander in MITx 7.00x as i've told you before.

 There is nothing wrong with valuing excitement over learning. In fact, they go togeather sometimes. Learning is exciting, you just don't know that yet. May be you can try looking at things differently, and watching professors excite you is a good way to do that (or reading exciting books about the subject). 

Learning isn't about reading books, it is a process of discovery. It is ingrained into reality, because that's all learning is. 

Here, watch this : 

  (found it when i was watching a seminar on host microbe interaction, this is how you want to learn. Learning everything about the subject, from the people involved, to the effect it can have on your life) 

I like how she went to a school solely purposed on education education only. Thats the issue with schools -  most people care to much about their status and popularity but not really much of the content which is being taught (at least from my school). Yeah this was inspiring. She went against the grain of formal teaching.

[Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj]

I can relete to this very much. Personally I have been feeling the same way. I used to love learning by reading books but when people got a little freaked out duo to learning about "not normal" knowledge or hey wtf this guy is reading about psychology, how society works and history I guess that I started to supress my drive for learning. It kind of became a shadow actually, now I can see why I got bad vibes by a guy that lived in a Zen temple who talked about a lot of things he had read in books... Lately I have been seeing a therapist and begun to process some conditioning, pretty simmilar to the conditioning you mention. It seems like my drive to learn is comming back, it feels more authentic. This week I have been feeling a drive to learn stuff again, especially history and regular psychology. I didn't expect this at all!

Processing conditioning and getting stuff on the surface,  telling my parents how I have felt during my childhood about living in an unstable family, and in the process raising my self esteem seems to be working for me. But of course just starting reading a lot will give you a little bit of resistance that you will have to work trough but I think that that's the easiest problem to overcome. 

HUG!  

Edited December 9, 2016 by Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj