Why do We Learn

​I recently immersed myself in the task of making our gallery website a user-friendly  site that is quickly and easily accessible to anyone searching for thought-provoking, symbolic artwork.  I had put this task off for some time as the whole topic of search engine optimization (SEO) struck me as quite technical and therefore scarily complicated and daunting.  I checked out “Search Engine Optimization All in One for Dummies” from the library  with the notion the nuts and bolts of website maintenance would be presented in a language that could be easily grasped by a beginner (hence, my attraction to the title).  When I picked up the book, it was actually 9 books in one- 737 pages.  My heart skipped a beat.  I had a feeling I would be renewing the checkout a couple of times unless I threw in the towel after the first week!  Having made it to page 106,  I skipped some topics and studied others and am pleased to see marginal improvements.  Each problem I resolved, each obstacle I overcame filled me with a sense of accomplishment and a greater insight of keywords and meta descriptions.
Our world is changing so fast.  It feels as if each day presents another opportunity to learn something new- through the people we encounter, through the situations  that challenge us to rise to the occasion.   Perhaps on some primordial level, we learn out of the necessity to adapt and prevail in order to survive.  More often we are drawn to  subjects that inspire us.  In my case, I was perhaps less stimulated about the subject of SEO and more motivated by the websites of successful visionary artists whose popularity had been greatly enhanced through their knowledgeable use of the internet.
 “We learn so that we can connect with one another’s humanity and with one another’s ideas”, said Sydney Chaffee, a humanities teacher at Codman Academy in  Dorchcester, Massachusetts.  “We learn so that we can grow together and become smarter as a collective. We learn so we can make the world smaller.”  Thus, we are all microcosms in our personal laboratories taking courses in the grand university of life on this planet.  Through trial and error, we acquire knowledge.  The process of assimilating and distributing enables us share our experiences, hopefully with good judgment, to enhance other people’s life journey.  Just as the material sparked our interest, perhaps it will similarly ignite a curiosity slumbering in another’s mind.  Important to remember, however, is Kahlil Gibran’s statement on self-knowledge:  “Say not, I have found the truth,” but rather, “I have found a truth.”