Paths To Learning
By Marshall Ervine (Photo by Tim Hanger)
“Getting old is when a narrow waist and a broad mind change places.” —Alfred E. Newman, Mad Magazine
“When you come to the fork in the road, take it.” —Yogi Berra, Baseball Hall of Fame
It might be too late for many of us to narrow our waists, but it is not too late to broaden our minds. Sometimes, we need to get out of our comfort zones, away from the familiar, and explore something new. Like Mikey in the 1970’s television cereal commercial, you might just like it!
The Osher Institute at the University of Richmond offers courses in many subjects, but you may opt only to sign up for those in which you have prior knowledge and interest. That’s fine, but are you really mentally challenging yourself or just making your rut more comfortable?
A couple of years ago, I decided to sign up for a class in which I had absolutely no interest. I selected “Choice, Chance, and Ants: This is Art?” a course on modern art taught by Elizabeth Schlatter, the Deputy Director and Curator of Exhibitions at the University of Richmond Museums. Ms. Schlatter was so passionate, knowledgeable, and articulate in her presentation that she kindled my ongoing interest in the subject. I have taken two more of Ms. Schlatter’s art classes, and I now routinely visit local museums. I still have no artistic ability, but I have an enhanced appreciation of the skill of those that do.
Each semester, I have taken one course in which I have little prior knowledge or interest, such as “Born to be Wild” and “Unity & Diversity in South America” and have enjoyed them very much. I have been exposed to topics and ideas that I never would have considered. Also, I have met many interesting Osher members outside of the circle of friends I usually see in class.
I urge you to consider following my example. Try something new. When you come to your fork in the road, your choice almost certainly will be interesting, and your path may even lead to finding a new passion. As the writer Dorothy Parker is quoted as saying, “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”