Flame Inside a Computer

The fire of learning to me only happens every once and awhile. A rare occurrence where one topic rises above all others and causes me to learn about it even in my free time. Something where even learning about it becomes a hobby. It intrigued me as a kid, but it didn’t become something I was truly interested in until the end of my sophomore year. The world of computers reared itself back into my life as capstone was also starting to creep up on me, just like adulthood soon following it. With my other project not being possible and an income soon on the way, building a computer seemed to be an actual possibility.
The knowledge of computers is always changing and adapting, with new things always coming out. It’s not just one part or anything basic like growing vegetables in a garden. Its complex pieces that seem simple going together, but are extremely difficult because of their accessibility, lack of durability, and the parts compatibility. I wouldn’t have known this unless I looked into it. Which started with maybe just a video here and there about a new computer part that had just come out or a new software being updated. Next thing I know I’ve been watching a specific youtube channel talking about certain computer parts that came out all the way back in 2010. These parts are definitely obsolete now yes, they work and it’s not as big as a difference between a tractor and a horse, but it still matters. The best part though about trying to learn all of the new things was it didn’t feel like learning. It felt as though I was just watching youtube and nothing more until it was more than just videos.
The following months up to buying all of the parts I would find myself reading for hours and hours on websites that had anything to do with computers. Even if I had already learned something I would still watch another video or read another article about it just to make sure I got more than one opinion on the matter. The flame that started was based on something for school, but I found myself even taking classroom time just to read about things I already knew. Learning each and every part of the computer, learning why each part is important felt as though I was in the military learning about my weapon.
The line “Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.” to me makes a lot of sense. When filling a pail, the growth is gradual and at the same rate growing more and more at a time. A fire however rages, the more fuel it’s given the larger it is, but one has to give it its fuel first. Learning about new things is only truly controlled by the learner. Some things bring in more interest or provides more fuel to the fire. Just because one doesn’t like something the fire doesn’t go out, it stays and embers until the next thing that happens to entice. I believe that education and learning anything is important to one’s own personal growth. Education doesn’t just have to be about learning arithmetic or how to spell properly. It can be used to help people understand who they are, and learning about one’s self is truly the best knowledge.

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