That is definitely a loaded question.
Whether we consciously realize it or not,we always learning.
I learn things all through the day as I read searching for news items to report on, reading for pleasure – sometimes my Kindle gets filled with highlights of things I have learned and want to keep for later -, watching the TV or sports, and even listening to music.
Our brains don’t have an off switch…at least until we no longer walk the earth. The brain is constantly absorbing and processing information.
If you ask me what was the last thing I actively sought out to learn…that would be a piece of music I am trying to learn. And for some reason, the key change in the fourth vers is giving me all kinds of trouble. The tune is exactly the same just a different key and it isn’t even one of those keys with most of the notes sharp or flat like that Finnish folk song I finally got in my head – only the F and C are natural in that one! Fretting notes on a guitar is a lot different from hitting the key on a keyboard.
“The Day Thou Gavest” starts out in the key of C on a D and in the fourth verse it moves to the key of A and starts on an E. You would think following the same pattern would not be a big deal, but my brain is having some trouble wrapping itself around that. I need to find a little trick like I did with “Ashokan Farewell” and the inverted I chord…and suddenly the light bulb came on!
In the meantime, I am about to learn the lineup for the race on Sunday and who will sit on the pole. Baseball and more racing later…and who knows what else will find its way into my brain over the remainder of this day.
There is so much stuff up there, no wonder things get a bit jumbled sometimes.
Good post. I find myself in the same position. Information overload! Thanks for sharing. Ps…I like the one about Baseball, my favorite sport.