This website is the journey and journal of a lifelong learner. I hope to provide a resource and think-points for fellow “philosophers,” whether in formal education or outside of it.
More than facts learned, dates recited, obscure references, or even skills acquired, learning, if we are open, can transform not only the mind but also the character, spirit, and psyche. Learning breeds, and nourishes, the philosopher – the lifelong lover of wisdom.
When I was in high school, I was profoundly distracted. When I was supposed to be focused on integers, or insects, or ironic attitudes in war poetry, I was in the throes of a long and intense psychotic depression, a personality disorder emerging with puberty, rape, and a mother who was well-meaning but herself in recovery from mental illness and was sometimes physically violent.
Needless to say, I had other things on my mind.
I went to an excellent school on a full scholarship, but I left with only 3 GCSESs (out of maybe 8) and no qualifications in English, Maths, or a Science. A year later, in my first semester of IB, I was kicked out for truancy and my behavioral issues. Somehow I graduated from a Canadian high school, attended university at 16, and graduated at 20…. with many a trial between.
All of this to say that now, I’m 26 and still struggling: I struggle with my mental health and I am struggling to decide to which path what to commit. (One of the symptoms of my personality disorder is ‘unstable self image.’) Choosing a career for an INFP like myself is not just about what will pay well; it’s choosing a life path that mirrors my values – it has to be a calling. And following your calling requires not only cognitive resources, but emotional ones, resources and skills not immediately seen to be related to learning.
Originally, this blog was going to document resources for lifelong learners like great language learning websites, awesome lectures, organizational and study skills, unschooling, autodidactism, debates about the value of institutionalized education, and nerdy stuff about books and grammar…
And it will 🙂
But I’m an INFP, Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), eclectic young woman in a disturbing world with some emotional issues who can finally admit that she’s spiritually lost. I can no longer afford to buy into Cartesian duality or prioritize my intellectual development over all else. So, in the spirt of fusing mind, body, psyche, when it’s relevant to learning, I’ll also document my journey to heal and evolve.
Wishing all lovers of wisdom, peace, truth, integrity and, ultimately, freedom and love.
Indie Educated 