Sunday, July 9, 2006

Life... for Dummies

Y'know those yellow books about everything... for dummies? And the old Coles Notes for all the books you didn't bother to read in school? I used to think these things were great. They taught you everything you needed to know but didn't want to bother to really learn. If you didn't understand the language or terminology, these books put it into everyday english. Great, huh? Maybe its my old age, but now I'm starting to think these books do nothing but breed mediocrity. Need to learn something quick because you didn't start early enough? Have to write a paper but you don't want to read the source material? Want to learn about computers but don't understand how they work? Poetry... for dummies, The Great Gatsby... for dummies, Computers... for dummies. I'm not really good when it comes to literature, or math, or sports but I do know my own profession and career. Would you want a nurse that got through school with a 100-page booklet called Nursing... for dummies? How would you feel if you saw your pharmacist reading Pharmacology... for dummies? Now you're thinking, "That's different. I wouldn't use those books for that. Just the simple things like how to edit a photo on my computer." I totally agree with you, but that's what the nurse or pharmacist said until they started running out of time to do homework.

What's my point? Study! Learn! Don't be a dumbass!

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