“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.”—Benjamin Franklin
Intellectual wellness refers to one’s active participation in academic and cultural to activities for the purpose of gaining knowledge. One who is pursuing Intellectual “well-centeredness” values and nurtures creativity and curiosity and pursues lifelong learning. “Open-minded” describes the well-centered person.
The well-centered individual understands that he or she has a very limited worldview—or understanding of the universe, for that matter. As such, the mind of the well-centered person is life a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge one can.
The analogy of a sponge is limited, however. A sponge is relatively passive—that is, pumps water though itself, thus, relying the water coming to it. [Considering a dead sponge, i.e., like the sponge might have in the kitchen for cleaning, it is, likewise, passive—relying on someone directing it to the liquid to be absorbed.]
The well-centered person, unlike the living and dead sponge, makes a concerted effort to seek out and absorb knowledge. The sitting in a classroom because one has to be there or learning by happenstance (e.g., hearing something on the radio or television), without actively pursuing the information, is not acting to become more Intellectually well-centered.
The well-centered individual pursues opportunities to learn and, thus, improve one’s self. The well-centered person is an avid reader. He/she listens to podcasts and watched television, not just for the entertainment, but also for the educational opportunity.
Intellectual well-centeredness involves a liberal education beyond the classroom. A liberal education is often ignored in this age of specialization. College students might take their general education classes, but too often with an attitude of “I have to be here.” Beyond the educational systems, which are too often checkmarks on the way to a career, we need to be pursuant of knowledge in a broad range of topics.
I value the education I had as a child. Not only did I participate in sports, but I also acted in school plays and participated in art and music. I have little talent for singing or playing a musical instrument. Nevertheless, I played Charlie Bates in the high school production of Oliver! when I was in the 6th grade, and I tried to learn the drums in 7th grade and the tuba in 8th grade (Mr. Leo Yagello—A.K.A. Lee Kelton—was so patient in trying to teach me the drums and tuba in 7th and 8th grades. I am pretty sure he offered to teach me a tuba only because there were three instruments and four students playing the instrument, so I would never have to perform publicly. I got B’s in band, most likely, because my older sister has a favorite of his.)
One of my fond memories of childhood was taking art classes Saturday mornings at Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. I was one of two children selected from my elementary school. Classes were early. My dad would drop me off and pick me up a couple of hours later. I would change into my football uniform in the car in the Liberty Tunnels on the way to Little League football. My parents always made sure that sports were well-balanced with the arts. Football and wrestling became my passion in high school, but I never lost an interest in the artistic side of life. Broadway musicals were as much a part of my upbringing as the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Education was important, as well. Perhaps this is why I have a Ph.D. But, higher education aside, I recognize the value of continuing education—“continuing”, not to be confused with “Continued Education” offered at universities and community colleges, because it is an ongoing attitude of learning.
One of the best ways in which one can seek Intellectual well-centeredness is through the habit of daily reading. Successful people are readers. It really doesn’t matter what one reads. The important thing is that one reads regularly.
Read daily. Schedule time to read and keep reading materials readily available. I love my iPad for the library I can carry with me. I have numerous books and hundreds of journal articles available on my device. I am never lacking for reading material.
We are, unfortunately, easily distracted from reading. There is television, Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, YouTube, etc. to divert our attention. So, one must be purposeful in scheduling time to read and to make it a regular daily activity. This is not to say that there is no value in television and YouTube—these can be great sources of information when used purposefully and, sometimes, our mind just needs a break. What one does not want to do is get distracted by kitty videos and suddenly find their day wasted.
Set a time and goal for reading. Thirty minutes is a reasonable amount of time. Time should be blocked off in your schedule. Remove any potential distractions—e.g., shut off the phone, turn of the television, close the door, etc. Determine an objective for reading, such as a book a month. Don’t be finicky about what you read. Just read!
Knowledge is so easily obtained in the Information Age. Google and the Internet have made information just a click away. We should take advantage. Take every opportunity to learn!
I can’t help but recall the advertisement campaign from years ago: “Reading is fundamental.” We should take head and read.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow!