To quote ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
redthedragon : "I like improving because I get bored of sameness. You apparently improve because the sameness you like is considered not good enough. We are not the same."
And it got me thinking: why do I keep learning?
A harder question to answer than you'd expect, especially in light of my years-long career as a scientist.
I'm not afraid of stagnating; in fact, I very strongly believe in the concept of good enough. I'm not trying to impress people. I very rarely get bored of doing stuff that I previously enjoyed.
The best answer I can come up with is that I am incapable of leaving well enough alone. If I see something that draws my attention enough, I want to learn how does that work and can I do that, in the same way that seeing dirty dishes in someone else's sink makes me antsily wonder can I wash those or is that rude. Now, the limits of time, money, and my own body mean that I decide not to pursue many of the things that I want to learn (I'd love to learn to do backflips; I would not love to break my neck), but that doesn't erase the desire.
You keep improving because you think you're not good enough; I keep improving for the same reason I can't stop picking at scabs. We are not the same.
redthedragon : "I like improving because I get bored of sameness. You apparently improve because the sameness you like is considered not good enough. We are not the same."And it got me thinking: why do I keep learning?
A harder question to answer than you'd expect, especially in light of my years-long career as a scientist.
I'm not afraid of stagnating; in fact, I very strongly believe in the concept of good enough. I'm not trying to impress people. I very rarely get bored of doing stuff that I previously enjoyed.
The best answer I can come up with is that I am incapable of leaving well enough alone. If I see something that draws my attention enough, I want to learn how does that work and can I do that, in the same way that seeing dirty dishes in someone else's sink makes me antsily wonder can I wash those or is that rude. Now, the limits of time, money, and my own body mean that I decide not to pursue many of the things that I want to learn (I'd love to learn to do backflips; I would not love to break my neck), but that doesn't erase the desire.
You keep improving because you think you're not good enough; I keep improving for the same reason I can't stop picking at scabs. We are not the same.
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