Why Learn?
I loved Augustine's attitude about learning. He considered everything that didn't point him to God as waste of time. He says, in reference to his classical education, "Is not all this mere smoke and wind? And was there really no other subject on which I could have employed my tongue and exercised my intelligence? Indeed there was. I might have praised you, Lord..."
I don't think that he's saying that reading and writing is bad. I don't think he's belittiling literature in any way. But Augustine puts his eduaction in perspective. It seems like he thinks more "eternally" than I do. He wants to learn what will benefit him spiritually and emotionally - he wants to study things that are applicable and valuable in his life. The most important thing became his relationship with God, and so, anything that didn't enhance that wasn't really valuable.
As an English major, sometimes I wonder why I spend so much time reading books and studying them. I realize that studying just for the sake of studying is futile in many ways. But if what I study can be related to my life, then it becomes valuable. If I start reading literature in a more personal way, then it becomes meaningful.
Augustine knew what made him tick. He knew his love and need for God. As I read literature, I want to read it in the context of what is important to me. I like the idea of the meditation on a text, the free association. The association leads to a translation of our feelings and of what happens to us when we read. If I miss out on the translation part of literature, then I am missing out on one of the best parts of reading and learning.
If I want to make the most of my education, then I want to treat it the way Augustine approaches the world. He approaches the world by applying meaning to everything he does based on his core beliefs. As I read, study, and learn, I don't want to forget the most important part of the process: application. The things I read and learn become meaningful only as I interpret the feelings they inspire in me. The things I learn become meaningful as I apply what I read to my own personal beliefs.
I don't think that he's saying that reading and writing is bad. I don't think he's belittiling literature in any way. But Augustine puts his eduaction in perspective. It seems like he thinks more "eternally" than I do. He wants to learn what will benefit him spiritually and emotionally - he wants to study things that are applicable and valuable in his life. The most important thing became his relationship with God, and so, anything that didn't enhance that wasn't really valuable.
As an English major, sometimes I wonder why I spend so much time reading books and studying them. I realize that studying just for the sake of studying is futile in many ways. But if what I study can be related to my life, then it becomes valuable. If I start reading literature in a more personal way, then it becomes meaningful.
Augustine knew what made him tick. He knew his love and need for God. As I read literature, I want to read it in the context of what is important to me. I like the idea of the meditation on a text, the free association. The association leads to a translation of our feelings and of what happens to us when we read. If I miss out on the translation part of literature, then I am missing out on one of the best parts of reading and learning.
If I want to make the most of my education, then I want to treat it the way Augustine approaches the world. He approaches the world by applying meaning to everything he does based on his core beliefs. As I read, study, and learn, I don't want to forget the most important part of the process: application. The things I read and learn become meaningful only as I interpret the feelings they inspire in me. The things I learn become meaningful as I apply what I read to my own personal beliefs.
posted by Christine at 6:00 PM
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