The Way of Learning

There are three kinds of men, ones that learn by reading, a few who learn by observation, and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

-Will Rogers

 

I think Will Rogers left out one kind of men, who learn by listening. Most people learn by listening to the school teachers, to their parents, to the social educators and to the mass media. In school, listening is a prime source of information. Listen well and take notes thoroughly, you will have better chance to get a good grade.

 

As a visual person, I am a slow learner by listening. My mind is more focused when I am reading than when I am listening. I learn new skills fast by reading and practicing, so I spend a lot of time reading. Reading presents me a lot of mentors and friends I never meet and provides me a new platform of learning and growth.

 

I also learn through observation. Observing the other people and analyzing why they succeed or why they fail, we can save our time to find the right path to a successful life and avoid getting into a wrong way. Most People learn things by listening, reading and observing. 

 

Some people pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves. Don’t do that, it is dangerous. I heard that a man really peed on bare electric wire unintentionally in a freezing winter; he was shocked to death immediately. Don’t learn things in a hard way, the result can be disastrous or fatal. But if the disaster doesn’t kill you, it may break you down then build you up to a new person with a different mindset.