There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.
—George Washington, address to Congress, January 8, 1790
I came across this quote this morning, and it warmed my heart. I personally think our country would be better off if more people agreed with Washington, but no point going into that here. My main reaction to the quote is gratitude…it reminds me how happy I am when I learn new things. We have so much information at our disposal nowadays…thanks to the internet we have it at our fingertips, we don’t even have to leave home.
Am I that unusual? Does anyone else feel the same way?
July 18, 2020
When our daughter was young she often asked me, “How do you know that?!” I always answered, “Must have been in some book I read.” You can learn a lot by reading even if you mostly read fiction.
Notice Washington mentioned literature as well as science. 🙂
on the other side of the coin, you could be knowledgeable but quite sad…although of course, we aren’t in that position if we are choosing the path of happiness…
my acquisition of certain knowledge isn’t always that great…like now, so many conflicting information on the way of the pandemic, I tire at times and then realise the “choice is mine” on how best to go forward. Currently I chose wellness which as it should be…
Linda S: my mother didn’t know the answer, most of the time…her favourite reply was “you don’t need to know that”… later I realised her own knowledge was lacking, due to her schooling mostly.
There are still a huge range of “things” I have no idea about…but I’m not sure they are all that important. I often just float along on my pathway…making the choice I feel is the right one.
The main thing about happiness is (1) to value it, and (2) to develop enough self-knowledge to figure out what works best for us. It sounds as if you are doing just fine!
Me too!!!
🙂
I love learning new things, even if it’s just a bit of trivia. I think it comes from my mom asking me every day when I got home from school, “What did you learn today?” It was my favorite time of the day, that mother/daughter bonding time. Even as an adult she was the first person I wanted to share something new with.
The internet can be great for many things but it is a two edged sword that along with educational opportunities is spreading anti-science and false information that is harming socieity.
Yes, I hate the false information, conspiracy theories, etc., but I also love the real information at my disposal. It makes me feel rich.
Sometimes I wonder, Jean, if my brain’s hard drive is full. I honestly don’t think anymore information will fit up there! *haha* It’s the same with cookbooks. When my daughters ask me if I’d like a new cookbook I always tell them “No!”. I have enough recipes in my repertoire to last me easily for the rest of my life. I don’t want to learn how to make anything else… enough is enough! 🙂 Love, Andrea xoxo
😀 One size doesn’t fit all. We have to figure out what works for us and do what makes us happy.
I am so thankful for the internet and for Google search because I have a very very very large curiosity bump! And with all this knowledge at our fingertips it’s instant answers for all the questions that I come up with. Yes I do agree with Washington and I do love that all this information is at my fingertips. Now if I could only figure out how to remember what I look up
😀 I still remember a piece of doggerel I read years and years ago:
I love how easy it is now to get information and answers to questions. Nothing like how it was back in the day
I know. I don’t take that for granted…it still amazes me.
My brother and I often talk about how much we would have enjoyed the internet, or even just the digital cameras! Yet I cherish a lot of my childhood memories. And I would not give them up for this.
I LOVE being able to check the library for books without ever leaving home. I think there are three things I have never been able to track down on the internet.
Yes, yes, yes. Our lives are so rich now. 🙂