Yesterday’s post on mating mosquitos got me thinking about the learning process. I’ve often thought that learning was akin to sex in that the acquisition of knowledge occurs through a rhythmic interplay of the student and the unknown. There is, borrowing from the mating habits of mosquitos, a harmonic convergence where the mind of the student vibrates in such a way that it harmonizes with the frequency of the object or concept being studied.
When the union is consummated, the student moves from a state of separation from the subject of inquiry to a state of union with, where the reality of the subject – be it a new word, concept or piece of music – is integrated with his mind. This connective or integrative process is the essence of true learning.
The pace of learning is determined in part by the speed at which you can harmonize mentally with material objects and abstract concepts. Mental agility, then, is the ability to shift the rate at which your mind is “vibrating.”
If you’ve been doing something for a long time, particularly if you’ve been doing it incorrectly or inefficiently, you run the risk of forming rigid mental concepts that stand between you and a deep understanding of the topic at hand. Breaking through these crystallizations of that which should be flowing can be quite a challenge. The most effective way I’ve found is to find your way back – usually by eating copious amounts of humble pie – to the supple and hungry frame of mind possessed by the best students.
Gregory Hake 
great points, thank you!
LikeLike
Learning is easier when it starts with a desire or curiosity about the subject. Often the desire can be engendered from another’s passion for the subject. It’s certainly easy to see why the student can’t be forced or browbeaten. Inspiration goes along way to assist the learning experience.
LikeLike
I appreciate your referrencing humility as a key component to opening doors to ones experience. Thanks a million for your posts daily.
LikeLike
I appreciate realizing that learing relates to coming to know the essences from which the branches of a particular subject spring. In thinking about it studying can relate to an outside in relationship whereby we may study the branches of a subject first. If we do have that supple and hungry mind it leads further to the wellspring from which the subject has been spawned. Increasing coming to this point topics are refreshed in knowing the joyful flowing origination of them. Thanks for emphasizing the fundamentals and your encouragement for all of us to have an enlivening experience.
LikeLike
Interesting analogy. And yes, I agree, much can be gained by eating humble pie!
LikeLike
In pushing the envelope in one’s understanding or execution of a skill, sometimes you get a little lost which is perfectly fine depending on what you do at that point. To me, there is nothing more revitalizing than a back-to-basics approach where you re-emphasize the fundamentals and discipline yourself to stay there for a period of time, even longer than you would initially think would be sufficient. Your peers may think you have become a little outdated, that perhaps you’ve lost a little edge or what have you, but all the while the steady diet of humble pie strengthens your foundations which ultimately serves to catapult your growth in reaching new levels of aptitude, strong and secure. Any of your unsteady peers then may be seen a little green in the face, that bilious pallor that comes with the nausea induced from a regurgitative diet of having been eating their own words for too long. That’s ok too because since most likely you’ve been there at least once or twice in your life – I certainly have – you know the only solution is to get real and just eat that first slice.
LikeLike
It is very fulfilling to learn new subjects, and I have been noticing lately that there is a big difference between learning a bit about something and learning something in depth. The advent of the Internet has facilitated a shallow and rapid fire way of learning which feels very different than learning from a book. I think there is benefit in both ways of learning, but I want to make sure that as an Internet user I do not lose the ability to research and learn in depth, because when you understand a subject in depth you are able to form relevant original thoughts about it, rather than following the herd.
LikeLike
Maybe a topic for a future post could be “safe sex and learning!”
LikeLike
Great learning analogy!
LikeLike
Excellent points.
LikeLike