Random Thought #150

I've been considering going back to school for awhile now and weighing the benefits of going back to school vs just learning on my own. I've decided to go back to school but I'm not entirely sure I'm doing it for the right reasons, merely the necessary reasons. In the book I referenced that I'm reading, it talks about 3 levels of learning but it also talks about 3 levels of learning from another perspective. It talks about facts and the knowing of them (Knowledge), The recognition of patterns and themes in the knowledge (Understanding), and the useful and productive application of that understanding (Meaning). This is also referred to in David A Bednar's book "Increase in Learning", another book I highly recommend. It just occurred to me (again in the shower) that a core part of our life, education, is nothing but a very elementary level of learning. We go through 13 years of school and at least 4 years of college studies doing nothing but learning facts and increasing our knowledge. The strange part is that employers and future success put such a high value on just basic learning. You can't even get a job today to support yourself without this piece of paper that says you know how to memorize facts. Doesn't that seem odd? Granted, in some areas and schools, they have taken in a bit further and done case studies and internships to help you start understanding how those facts fit together but it is by no means the norm or required to get a job and be "successful". Why is that? I would think that value would be placed upon a higher level of learning, that of Meaning or useful and practical application of understanding. This could also be called experience. One of my favorite authors, Hugh Nibley, regularly criticizes fellow scholars because they do nothing but spit out facts that nobody else are likely to know in their special field of study or expertise and consider themselves experts and that we should value their "expert opinion". He mocks the higher education system because it fails to provide true learning. He sees no value in a PhD or other degree because it doesn't really mean anything, and yet it means everything to the world.

I believe the same concept applies to the gospel. We can be complete gospel scholars and know all there is to know (which is great, don't get me wrong) but if that's all it is and it never grows from there, then we have failed to grasp the point of the gospel. Why do we cover the same material over and over again in our lessons and Sunday School? Why do we give Sunday School answers? Are we not simply repeating back bits of memorized knowledge? Where is the understanding? Where is the meaning? Where is the application? They say that people become wise with age. Why do you think that is? I believe that it is because they have experienced so much more and have progressed in their ladder of learning.

So back to the question, to go back to school or not to go back to school? I guess it depends on the motivation and the goal at hand. Just remember, a college education is good but it is not the end, it is only the beginning of our learning.