December 10, 2009

I married an academic librarian.  It is my husband's job to help you find information.   Its his life's work.  There is information in the world and he can help you find it. 

We had children and became unschoolers.   We teach the children how to find information.   We teach them that information and skills are choices as much as talents.  You choose information, you choose tools, and you often choose your skill.  Skill generally being a matter of practice.  Not completely, but generally.

People who withhold information are such a bummer.  I have encountered this in my life, over and over.  From doctors to artists, the narcissistic urge to shelter special knowledge can be found all over our society.   Our educational system is structured that way, for one thing.  And the competition bred into a capitalistic society also nurtures this tendency.   But folks who find it hard to share their knowledge, who clutch their tools and are defensive and mysterious about their work, are insecure and scared.  And generally narcissistic.

We are in the information age and the gig is up.  For anyone who wants to know anything, all you have to do is try.  MIT has their entire course load online for free.  Anything you want to learn, if you have the will, you can. 

And for any artist or doctor or window washer who is scared of this, let me quote Elisabeth Gilbert:  "It is time for something that was beautiful to turn into something else that is beautiful.  Now let go."  If you happen to have a set a tools that you can make sing, good for you.  Now stop being so selfish, before you turn into a gnarled old prune, before your precious work gets pruney.  Because that attitude sucks.   You are blind to the covetousness and greed that sours your talent.  It spoils the work and holds you down.

We are in the information age and its beautiful.  If you want to learn something, go learn it.  Don't wait for an expert, either.  Often they are half pruned anyway. 

What did Mike Wyzowski say?  "Go 'head.  Go grow up."

2 comments:

val said...

Hey, thanks to you, I just shared my mad skills at gingerbread. It seemed too boring to bother talking about, but skill is skill, and this is something I can share. love you,V

candyn said...

Muah! I like the way you think cowgirl :0) Wouldn't it be more fun if more people sought to spread knowledge and skill freely. Esp. in the digital age. What wisdom we could get from each other.

I think that is something that will grow, esp. with the new generation that is used to having information available so readily. It will just seem natural that they'd share as openly as they learned to receive.