Autodidacticism

Autodidacticism is a word I love.  According to wikipedia it means  “self-education or self-directed learning” and I am totally in love with that concept.  Having been home-schooled for most of my school years I discoved how much fun learning was on my own with my own agenda, instead of being told what to learn by someone else. I read the classics because I wanted to not because I had to, studied foreign languages because they intrigued me, and watched classic films because they were all I knew and I loved them (I have great parents).

Now after moving between two continents during the last year, I’ve finally settled into a semi-permanant place, and I want to take up my self-education again.  With that in mind I’m sending myself back to school, a school of one.  I’ve got languages, great books, and art appreciation all on the table for this “semester”.  The plan is flexible.  Courses can be added or deleted at will.  It’s so much  more enjoyable than any real university, because I call the shots on what I want to learn.  This idea has gained momentum with others as well.  Two wonderful sites to start your own autodidactic journey are:

• The Art of Self Education
• Self Made Scholar

I especially love Self Made Scholar’s six article installment on how to get an Ivy League Education on your own for free.

Education doesn’t have to cost money or be tedious.  Instead learning should be exciting and a bit overwhelming with its array of choices.  Don’t let your brain stagnate, even if just for 15 minuntes a day exercise it.

“Learning is not compulsory… neither is survival.” ~ W. Edwards Deming

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The Epic of Gilgamesh

The oldest widely-known work of literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh, deserves the title of epic. Discovered in the 19th century on clay tablets almost 3,000 years old, the main theme is the fear of death and trying to avoid it. The hero, Gilgamesh, tries of outsmart death in several ways. First he tries to make a great name by performing heroic acts of bravery with his friend Enkidu. After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is distraught. He then travels to the edge of the earth to talk with Utnapishtim, the survivor of the great flood, to learn the secret of immortality (Utnapishtim was granted it by the gods, after surviving the flood). After much work he learns that his quest is pointless, the gods decided that no more humans may live forever after the flood. After finally accepting this truth and becoming wise, Gilgamesh goes home and takes comfort that the walls of his great city will endure after his death, and that in this way he can live forever.
The irony is that after he dies, the gods decide to make him a sort of demi-god of the underworld, so he does achieve immortality in the end.
I found it fascinating how The Epic of Gilgamesh shows that over thousands of years, humans haven’t changed. We still fear death and wish to avoid it at all costs. We need close friends and mourn when we lose them. We want fair rulers who don’t oppress us (Gilgamesh starts out as a despot, but becomes a wise ruler through his experiences). We want the same basic things that people did 4,000 years ago.

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