Month: October 2016

For those very things I was to use a “standard” website for, I may just put them on, yes, this blog!

The same principle applies:  no site or source is an island.  This is true of both the Internet and libraries.  And since everyone has different goals of research, claiming that “one site does it all” is quite cavalier.

However, this very blog is a perfect way to communicate information I have learned recently, or not-so-recently.  Whether it’s an issue that may warrant comment, or if I am simply sharing a neat topic I have learned (whether voluntarily or not), this is a great place to discuss it.  And of course, as I progress though my academic endeavors, I become more and more qualified to write about more and more things.  My community college library (and possibly, the one of the university I attend), public libraries (especially the Philadelphia “Central” Library), books I own, and of course, the internet; are all great potential sources that I have access to.  Perhaps the best blog posts concern how academic facts impact daily life.

Well, everything should be back to normal now!

Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.  But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.  For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ.  We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence.  “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. (2 Cor 10:12-18, ESV)

For quite a while I was analyzing the same topics from different angles in order to see what they have in common.  Here’s the catch, though:  I was doing it in an over-extensive way, to determine, say, that if one source had all its details elsewhere on the Internet and often other sources (no matter how widespread).  And deep down, it turns out that all you ought to do is focus on your territory.

Honestly, the real joy in learning comes from understanding that all of it is centered on God, and from there, Wisdom Incarnate, that is, Christ.  And it need not be duplicated.  Everyone’s knowledge base is a library filled with varying repertoires of facts.  And that’s great!  We’re not robots, and your knowledge, gifts, and talents are your personal property.  You can share it, or not, at your discretion.

Also, whether a deceased person that discovered a given principle of knowledge was a Christian or not is irrelevant.  They have been eternally judged by God, and in any case have left behind their contribution for us (cf. 1 Cor 10:25, 27).  And as always, the handy-dandy principles of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes can be useful (as long as they, being OT books, are lined up in context with the NT as well as to society today.)

So, now to the meat and potatoes.  why an endeavor as proposed earlier is not appropriate?Each person must obtain his/her knowledge the way they need– and want– it.  Foolish comparison, and even worse, oppressive distribution of material (like junk mail, your ration of 4-letter words today) is unfruitful and inappropriate.

Note the word “oppressive.”  It’s absolutely fine to distribute information (oral, written, etc.) toward person(s) who are interested.  But don’t get nuts over it; rather, usually, keep it in a nutshell.

So, can we now put barbed wire fences around that university library down the road?

Biology degrees, unlike physical science degrees (i.e., chemistry, physics, geology, etc.), tend to have a whole bunch of course options for biology elective credit, which you can pick to a total of, say, 5-8 courses.  Moreover, different schools have different “concentration” programs, to orient you in a certain direction.  Yet for me, I prefer the general degrees because you can tailor it to your (mostly) exact interests.

The CCP Biology I (taking now) and Biology II (spring) should give me a general idea, and can give a further standard against which colleges to judge.  The top 3 options currently are West Chester, Widener, and ESU (East Stroudsburg University).  One of my sisters has studied at ESU.  While they all have their own merits, I should tour all of them to determine what college serves me best.

And I am discerning which courses (and their general subject areas) to take, which is more of getting a feel for them than actually deciding.  After all, we should take things one semester at a time.  But I can say my favorite types of courses are ones that primarily involve “action,” e.g., physiology, rather than structure or identification, e.g., anatomy, morphology, pathology, systematics, etc.  But again, you won’t like everything in college.

In this age of information, specialization is paramount.  You can’t really be a generalist anymore and get much done, aside from actually learning the stuff.  While I wouldn’t call such an endeavor a “waste,” it’s far less fruitful than if you just do one thing and do it right.  Brain capacity is constant, yet information quantity is skyrocketing.  So we must each do our part and “zero in!”