Learn to Draw on an Etch-A-Sketch

Who is the person who decides what is worth learning? I believe that my work to develop my ability to create art on my etch-a-sketch was not a waste of time. I believe that there is not enough appreciation for the more random knowledge in the world. We forget that there is so much to know and do in the world that we could spend every second of every day discovering it and never ever run out of things to learn and talents to master. I believe that all knowledge, and all skill, has intrinsic value by nature and enriches the lives of those who seek it.

I believe that the traditional subjects are important; my point is that these are not the end of learning. In my life, I have found great personal satisfaction and joy in broadening my mind all the time with, for lack of a better word, stuff. Last summer, I took the time to learn all of the summer constellations. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this will probably never help me get a job. Yet, the satisfaction I got from many nights of stepping outside for a few minutes and naming the stars over my house was equal to the satisfaction I got from scoring a 5 on my AP tests last year. People laugh at me all the time because of weird things I know, but reveling in pure, simple knowledge doesn’t require showing it off. In fact, it’s usually better if you don’t; it makes it more of a personal victory, a sense of inner fulfillment.

I believe that knowledge is everywhere for the taking, and that anything you could ever want to learn, or any skill you would ever want to master, is there if you will just look for it. Every little random fact or skill is on the internet, and yet we read celebrity tweets instead of looking them up.

I got a guitar when I was 16, but never learned to play it. I watched others play the guitar and wished to myself that I could play like them. Finally one day I asked, “Why can’t I?” I began to teach myself, and while I’m not great, I’ve developed the skill to the point where I thoroughly enjoy sitting and playing my guitar for hours. I believe that there are millions of avenues of self improvement that can bring us great joy and give richer fabric to our lives if we take the time to learn them.

I love my etch-a-sketch, because it’s a challenge. Most people give up on drawing anything complicated on an etch-a-sketch; they don’t realize that all it takes is patience. The same goes for any skill or wisdom in the world. We see geniuses or athletes or artisans and think “if only I was that talented.” What if you took the time and had the patience to learn to be that talented? We have no excuse for wasting our time. There is a whole world of things to learn, and learning them is worthwhile, even if just for the self-actualization that comes from expanding our own mind.