A Lifetime of Learning
I like learning things. I always have. During my middle school years I thought I was a mediocre student and often I wouldn’t apply myself. According to an old school report this was because I was “too busy indulging in Tomfoolery”. Then I had the positive experience of meeting an exceptional teacher. Their lessons were the highlight of the week as they had an ability to make the subject matter, Classical History, utterly compelling and relevant. The teacher in question also treated us like adults and the class benefitted from only having five pupils. This really brought home to me that a lot of disinterest and underachievement in education is linked to the paucity of some teachers. One bad teacher can undermine the good work that all the others can do. Perhaps it has improved nowadays?
I like learning things. I always have. During my middle school years I thought I was a mediocre student and often I wouldn’t apply myself. According to an old school report this was because I was “too busy indulging in Tomfoolery”. Then I had the positive experience of meeting an exceptional teacher. Their lessons were the highlight of the week as they had an ability to make the subject matter, Classical History, utterly compelling and relevant. The teacher in question also treated us like adults and the class benefitted from only having five pupils. This really brought home to me that a lot of disinterest and underachievement in education is linked to the paucity of some teachers. One bad teacher can undermine the good work that all the others can do. Perhaps it has improved nowadays?
Since leaving school, over forty years ago, I have adopted the philosophy that you are presented with opportunities to learn continuously throughout life and it is incumbent upon you to make a conscious choice whether you choose to do so or not. For me, there is no shame in not knowing something. We all have gaps in our knowledge by default. Hence there is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know” and asking for an explanation. In fact I think it should be encouraged more. However, I consider wilful ignorance to be an egregious act of self sabotage. Especially in an age where information is so freely available. I also eschew the cultural pushback of recent years against “knowledge” and “expertise” and the resentment that accompanies it. Ignorance and indifference are exalted and seen as a badge of honour.
So what do I like to know, learn about and understand? Pretty much anything. Naturally I have specific subjects and fields that hold more interest to me than others but overall I admire skills and those who have taken the time to acquire expertise in a discipline. Be it a plumber, a telecoms engineer or a heart surgeon. Furthermore, all people know things. Skills, hacks and information that they have acquired during the course of their lives. Knowledge can come from some interesting quarters sometimes. All of which raises a question that I’m frequently asked. “Why do you want to know”? Because I find a lot of things interesting. There is also a value in knowledge. It helps with practical problem solving, it makes you more employable and it offers a degree of protection from the iniquities of life. Knowledge is power, to a degree.
I read a lot. Books, magazines and online content. If I find myself waiting at a bus stop or travelling, I will fill that time by reading. If I’m listening to a podcast or perusing a website and a phrase or subject comes up that I’m not familiar with, then I’ll look it up. As well as learning in the traditional sense, I like to keep up with popular culture. Which artists are currently in vogue, what TV shows are being talked about and what are the latest internet memes. I find my granddaughters are an invaluable window into this world. Being generation alpha, they are immersed in internet culture. I have learned from them that a lot of what gains traction online has no real meaning. It is often about the fun of someone creating something and participating in it as it spreads. It’s often more about belonging rather than “we do this because [insert reason here]”. I find that a fascinating concept.
Something that comes apparent with age is that learning takes longer. Especially with complex subjects. I listen to a lot of non-fiction audiobooks because the slower pace of narrated content allows me time to absorb information. I can also rewind and listen again to difficult concepts. Philosophical subjects are becoming a struggle of late as I find some too abstract. Similarly I find a lot of theoretical physics very hard to conceptualise. I find that these subjects often take me to the limits of my understanding. I am aware that Carl Sagan argued that all ideas and concepts should be able to be explained to the wider public but I think that some subjects that exist primarily as abstractions are too hard to simplify and convey as a simple metaphor. Fortunately, I am not alone in struggling with certain fields of knowledge.
I also have an intellectual blind spot when it comes to subjects and concepts that are driven by feelings and other subjective, less tangible factors. Religion, faith and spirituality are immediate examples. I understand the principles but as I’ve never had that personal connection or anything remotely close to what can be described as a religious experience, I find these matters to be nebulous and mainly “thought experiments”. I feel similarly ambivalent towards politics that are founded on feelings rather than specific ideology or policy. I’ll even go so far as to admit to being a little sceptical about professional formal criticism, especially of the arts. Yes there is logical scope to critique such things as technique and presentation. However, aesthetics and how something makes you feel is highly subjective. Are such things knowledge?
Finally, let us address one of the biggest problems that blights our current political and social discourse. Something that learning, knowledge and intellectual rigour has difficulty addressing. The conflation of opinion with fact and personal perspective being seen as universal. There was a time when quashing a factually incorrect or spurious narrative with factually correct information would definitively draw a line under it. Sadly due to cultural change and the internet, we now find ourselves in a position where lies, factual inaccuracies and abject stupidity simply won’t back down. Criticism is seen as a personal attack. Facts and data are oppression and elitism. The reality is that you can’t reason someone out of a position that they haven’t reasoned themselves into. In such times, learning is something that should be embraced, not just out of curiosity but necessity. As Sam Kinison wisely stated “stupid never sleeps”.
Libraries
If you wanted to find me on a Saturday afternoon during the late seventies and early eighties, then the local library was a safe bet. At one point I belonged to three including one in a neighbouring borough but Blackfen Library was my favourite. It was the nearest to our home and I was fond of the oddly austere building. Both of my parents have always been prodigious readers so going to the library quickly became a regular part of my youth. Initially, I was content to confine myself to the children’s section reading Hergé's Adventures of Tintin and the escapades of Asterix the Gaul. However, I was never really content with fiction aimed at children and especially stories about children. Hence as I grew older I expanded my horizons and strayed into the adult section. My parents didn’t interfere in my choice of books and took the attitude that if I were reading, then I wasn’t getting into trouble. My Dad would make the occasional recommendation. Usually classic science fiction by authors such as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.
Blackfen Library prior to it’s relocation in 2004
If you wanted to find me on a Saturday afternoon during the late seventies and early eighties, then the local library was a safe bet. At one point I belonged to three including one in a neighbouring borough but Blackfen Library was my favourite. It was the nearest to our home and I was fond of the oddly austere building. Both of my parents have always been prodigious readers so going to the library quickly became a regular part of my youth. Initially, I was content to confine myself to the children’s section reading Hergé's Adventures of Tintin and the escapades of Asterix the Gaul. However, I was never really content with fiction aimed at children and especially stories about children. Hence as I grew older I expanded my horizons and strayed into the adult section. My parents didn’t interfere in my choice of books and took the attitude that if I were reading, then I wasn’t getting into trouble. My Dad would make the occasional recommendation. Usually classic science fiction by authors such as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.
Despite it’s somewhat foreboding appearance, Blackfen Library was always warm and tranquil inside. The library ticket system was uncomplicated. Your ticket was a small cardboard pocket. Each book had a physical ticket associated with it which was filed along with your ticket when you borrowed it. Inside the cover of each book was a “date due” sheet which was stamped by the librarian with the return date. I believe you could keep your books for up to three weeks and borrow a maximum of six. As this was the seventies, the books were filed and organized using the Dewey Decimal System. I quickly learned to use this so I didn’t have to rely on the librarians to assist me. Choosing my books was always an exciting process. Sometimes I’d know in advance what I wanted and I’d race in between the heavy wooden bookshelves to the required section to see if my prize awaited. Other times I’d peruse the shelves in a leisurely fashion, reading the plot synopsis on the dust covers. They say not to judge a book by its cover but when you’re 10 years old, a glossy illustration by Chris Foss or Frank Frazetta was a major selling point.
Classic science fiction with Chris Foss artwork
Due to my parents and my local library, I still have a deep and abiding love for books and reading. One of my favourite excursions (pre-lockdown) is to travel to Rochester in Kent and lose myself in Baggins Book Bazaar, the biggest second hand bookshop in the UK. It has many similarities with a library and is a haven of tranquility in an otherwise noisy and frenetic world. Sadly, the original Blackfen Library in Cedar Avenue has now closed and the building was demolished and the land sold to a property development company in 2004. There’s a block of flats on the site now. The library has relocated to new premises in Blackfen Road. It has diversified and modernised in an attempt to stay relevant. It now has internet access and PCs that you can use. The premises also offer several meeting rooms and run numerous clubs and activities. It’s now a bustling and dynamic place. It’s all a far cry from the black and white tiled floors and quiet atmosphere of the former site.
As you may discern, I believe passionately in libraries and making books, knowledge and learning accessible to all. The ability to read is not only a great leisure activity and escape from the rigours of life but it’s also an opportunity for self improvement and to expand one's horizons. Which is why I greatly resent and deplore the closure of over 800 public libraries that have happened since 2010 in the UK. A recent survey from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) has found that there are 3,583 public libraries open at present. 35 fewer than last year and 773 fewer than in 2010. The closure of nearly a fifth of the UK’s libraries is a result of a decline in spending by 29.6% over the past decade. The reduced funding is due to the UK government cutting spending on all public services after the banking crash of 2008. The debate continues as to whether this was necessary or driven by political ideology. I believe author and comedian Alexei Syale may have some insight when he said “austerity is the idea that the 2008 financial crash was caused by Wolverhampton having too many libraries”.
Blackfen Library as of 2020
I am a child of the seventies and although I won’t universally extol the merits of that decade, it did have some good points from a child’s perspective. Blackfen Library introduced me to the joys of H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, J. R. R. Tolkien and many other classic authors. It also taught me that silence is not to be feared but something to be savoured when appropriate. Like most adults, as I’ve got older I find that I don’t read as much as I used to, although I still manage a book each month or so. Reading for me now centres on blogs and other online news outlets. But I still enjoy finding a quiet corner and losing myself in a good book. And I still visit my local library (which have now reopened) although now it tends to be more when they hold events. But it is important that we as a society fight any further closures and continue to foster in our children the importance and pleasure of reading. Although I suspect this will be more of an uphill struggle in the current political climate.