Today I wish to talk about something that I've been doing for a long time: teaching yourself anything. Yes, it can be done, and no, it is not easy. It can be done if you have an inquiring mind, and insist one the why's, but it is hard because you don't get much recognition from those who are not like you.

I'm quite fortunate to have been born in a time where computers have been integrated into our daily lives, and the Internet has become what newspapers once were to my dad. This situation, which started developing quite rapidly in the past decade, gives us access to information, and informations is part of knowledge. It is, indeed, a great environment for those who are in quest for knowledge.

When you work somewhere, or are in a school, you usually have to do things you are told to, without much thought about the why's. Well, I think the question of why we do something is a legitimate question, but most people I've ever met would just turn their heads and say something in support of the vision that asking unnecessary question when the end result is same as when no questions are asked is inefficient, and distracting. Now, you may all agree that this way of thinking doesn't help you reach your full potential, but when was the last time you actually questioned a method, or a principle?

This way of thinking is most gratifying for self-teaching, but will ultimately be met with scorn and lack of understanding. That is the price one must be willing to pay for wanting to teach oneself everything. And that is what makes self-teaching difficult.

However, if you are persistent, you will, in the end, know a whole deal more than most people in your environment, and you will quickly find out that the world is just an interlinked web of knowledge, rather than isolated enclaves of disciplines and faculties. You will find yourself in a world in which your mind can be stretched unlimitedly to span many fields of human knowledge, and that you can become proficient in many things, not just one.

Of course, obligations towards real life are still there. I have a wife and a kid, and this makes it much harder to self-teach, simply because my time has become rather limited. However, those that can afford it will be able to enjoy the fruits of self-teaching as long as their will to pursue knowledge exists. There are no limits.

The concrete method is rather simple. Get involved, ask around, read. But always ask yourself why your are doing something. For example, if you are fixing your car, ask yourself why some part must exist, and why it has to be attached the way it is. Don't just assume that someone smarter than you holds the key you don't deserve to have. Request the key, request it by trying to find out why. You will be surprised at how much 'common sense' knowledge out there can be turned upside-down, and how much people rely on convention instead of knowledge and understanding of the underlying principles... Of course, in verifying the common sense knowledge, you will also find many things that deserve their place in the knowledge pool, but this awareness will ultimately make you more creative and free you from the chains of the convention.