Tomorrow is
graduation night. I have worked hard for
2 ½ years to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. I received my Associates in Arts &
Sciences in 1993 at the ripe young age of 32.
Now at 56 I feel as though this is a life accomplishment, and in fact it
is. I have had to write on average two
papers and two discussion paragraphs a week for the last 2 ½ years. My courses were totally on-line and I am
grateful that our education system has reached a level where this is possible. The flexibility to work a full time job and
still put in 15-20 or so hours a week in school work was critical to my success
in graduating with a 3.95 GPA. But I
also leaned on my life experiences to draft many of those papers. That is why I say it is a life
accomplishment. In that vein I submit
what would have been the student’s speech at graduation, had I committed and
submitted it on time. As it is, I was
too late and another was already chosen.
Timing is everything, and someday I may have the opportunity to deliver
this orally, I won’t be late, but until then I hope you enjoy it and find some
truth and inspiration in it. Truth and
inspiration is the core of my blog….and even if you think you know all there is
to know about anything or anyone…never stop learning. It is better to be blessed and favored than
cursed and forgotten.
NEVER STOP LEARNING:
NEVER STOP LEARNING:
Wow….we made it!!!!
Congratulations to my fellow graduates, it has been a long and hard
journey to get here, and now we can celebrate and rest a bit….or can we?
Certainly celebrations are in order and a bit of
relaxation, but like many of you since my last class I thought…hmmm I got 16 or
so more hours a week to do something with…what should I do with that extra time
now that I don’t have research to do, and papers to write?
Sleep? Watch more TV? No those are two of the main
reasons I went back to school. Get a
part time job? No, I hope my degree opens doors for me so I don’t have to do
that. Go back to school and get another
degree? Well, possibly…but at my age I want to enjoy what I’ve learned and
accomplished so far.
So, when I thought about what to do with this extra
time the answer was really quite simple.
Never stop learning.
That’s right I decided to never stop learning. I decided that every day I want to learn
something new. This may only take a few
moments, or it may very well take up that entire 16 hours or so I used to spend
on getting my Bachelor’s Degree the last two years.
Never stop learning….this doesn’t mean you have to
necessarily pursue your Master’s Degree, although that is certainly an
excellent pursuit. But it does mean I
have to remember my goal and discipline myself to strive for that ideal…never
stop learning.
We can learn in many ways. I suggest to you that you spend that extra
time developing yourself into whatever your dreams and passions inspire you to. We can learn from friends and family, we can
learn from doing charity work, we can learn from a good book or a TV
documentary. We can learn from listening
to our favorite music, we can learn by taking up a new hobby or excelling at
our talents. We can learn by exploring
and we can learn by just simply being alone and thinking in silence. Whatever you do, do not waste your new found
hours by resorting to old habits and sluggish ways. Be energized and creative and you will expand
the intellect you have worked so hard to develop up to this point.
Never stop learning….and never stop using what
you’ve learned to better yourself and help those around you. Some of us have natural talents, for others
it is not so easy. Find something that
interests and challenges you…something that grabs your spirit and enriches your
soul. In so doing you will enhance the
world around you and be a better person for it.
Proverbs 8:11 teaches us that “Wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can
compare with her”. Never stop
learning my friends, for it is through knowledge and understanding that we
become more compassionate and tolerant.
Never stop learning… so that one day we can all live in peace with each
other, which should be our ultimate goal and desire.
Thank you so much, and just remember your learning
doesn’t stop here, it is only the beginning.
© Bryan A. Stross
2/1/2018 The best part of
teaching, is learning from your students.
Proverbs Chapter Seven
No comments:
Post a Comment