Get Interested in Learning More

Knowledge is empowerment! We all have heard this phrase; some of us might even throw it out there during conversations with our friends, peers, and family. Nonetheless, the statement is true. I was doing research for a paper in one of my classes and it pertained to EU and Mediterranean relations with one another. Afterwards, I just, I don’t know really how to describe it other than using the word empowerment but if I had to I would say felt good about myself. The thing is once I knew facts and information about this region of the world, I could talk about it without repeating tidbits and snippets I caught on the news or vaguely remembered being repeated by a peer or instructor. Doing my own research made me feel good, simple as that. I also feel that I have enough knowledge that I would be able to inform someone else on the material.

The thing is, outside of school spectrum would I have done this research? No. I just would not have mustered the motivation to keep researching. The thing is, my research paper had a prompt that I had to answer. I had to go and find more information on said region and country so that I could properly answer the prompt. The problem with doing this type of research outside the school structure is that I would not have the proper motivation to keep on going. However, I am interested in International Relations and that is why I choose a major that would, more or less, cover ideas and topics concerning IR related information. I guess what is bothering me is that outside of the realm of school I don’t engage in my interest in the way I do when I’m at school. I don’t just randomly pick up a poem written by Robert Frost and analyze the rhyme scheme to see if it’s talking about World War II. I just don’t have as much fun as with the material as I do when I’m doing it for a class, if that makes sense.

However, after researching and just learning that I am interested in what’s happening in other regions of the world, I have made a promise to myself. I have promised myself that even after graduation and leaving the school structure behind, I will continue to pursue my interest. Even during breaks. I just don’t want my knowledge to become stagnant and be vaguely informed by articles written by some questionable source or become informed by a peer. I do think that knowledge is important and I do find that it is an attractive trait to be well informed about the world around you. So, I hope this article has inspired you to pursue knowledge and never deter from the path.