Studia Humanitatis

“Enjoy the present hour, be mindful of the past; And neither fear nor wish the Approaches of the last. Learn of the skilful: He that teaches himself, hath a fool for his master.”

Benjamin Franklin

In psychology we learn that there are different areas of the brain that are stimulated by different things. Beyond just the idea of left-brain vs. right-brain, but also in the sense of learning new things and learning new ways of thinking in general. By taking a new route home from work we stimulate our brain by the sight of new things, by trying new foods we open ourselves up to new tastes and new stimulation. But this goes far beyond the simplicity of the immediate senses directly involved, it is a spark that increases your capacity. It gives your brain the opportunity for further stimulation and growth, and with it the IQ. Generally people stop growing in their late teens to early twenties, and in fact start the long process of deterioration. This generally happens after high school and into college for those of us who go. But what some fail to realize is that the brain never stops changing, your IQ never ceases to have potential for increase. In high school I learned some things, earlier in college I learned some more things, but the most valuable lesson I have since learned is learning how to learn. To seek out information constantly and to become what I like to call a "lifetime learner" is far more important than any wealth of information could possibly give you. To learn to love to learn and to continue to add to that wealth of information increases the potential for your IQ, and it also prevents you from following the condemned paths of mistakes made in history. From the moment you decide that learning is beneath you, and that you have become as smart as you wish to become, your true intelligence begins its steady decline. You begin to forget what you once knew and without new knowledge your IQ begins its steady decline. You begin to live by fallacy, "learning" things the hard way. Not truly understanding, but finding reasons to explain away the troubles of life. Believing hearsay as fact, instead of seeking the truth in a reputable source. I believe firmly that the study of humanities in general is one of the most important ways to stimulate the intellect, to increase your brain power, and to further your potential intellectually. Taking the time to stay on top of current events, reading how it relates to our history on this planet, studying the impacts of the great men and women who brought great change to our society, even knowing what influences art and architecture has had on our past and present. These things are all important in becoming a well educated, contributing member of society, and to deny the explorations of the humanities is to deny real potential for making your own impact in the world around you. The greatest lesson I ever learned was to become a lifetime learner, and that I can accomplish anything I want. By stimulating my senses and by increasing my education I can truly be a great teacher and a renaissance man. History, sciences, the arts, physical education, music, social sciences, humanities... these aren't just things we have to take to get through school. These are things that make humanity understand itself. By standing on the shoulders of giants(as newton put it) we can understand our future by knowing our past. Or we can be condemned to be frustrated by following the same circles in life and wondering why.