Wishing to Learn…

“All persons who have thought deeply, studied earnestly . . . know this,” said Mrs. Burton Chance. “There is help that comes . . . which freshens us, stimulates us, and gives us insight . . . [but] no one can help a [person] who thinks [he] already knows everything . . . No one learns without first withing to learn.” This seems to be a time to say that wishing to learn is one of the absolutely essential elements of success. And when so many are making decisions as to whether to continue preparation, whether to quit, whether to drop out, whether to settle for something less than the best they could be, we would well remind ourselves that the mind of man is limitless, and that the greatest waste in the world is the waste of human possibilities. For lack of willingness, for lack of wanting to, for lack of confidence and courage, there is infinitely much that is missed. And no young man, young woman, should enter life content to do less than he can do or to be less than he can be, or unwilling to make the effort⎯mental, physical, financial, sacrificing some pleasures, some pasttimes, some idleness, some easy comfort and convenience. No one should fail to prepare, fail to sharpen himself, to make himself in demand. There is so much to be done everywhere in the world, so much opportunity and opening. And since the most precious resource of all is the human capacity for learning, for doing, it is sheer idle, foolish shortsightedness not to go forward, not to follow through with preparation to the best of our ability, with courage, curiosity, competence, character. And as we do, help comes. Help comes when others see us willing and wanting to, making an honest effort. “No one can help a [person] who thinks he already knows everything . . . No one learns without first wanting to⎯and being willing to make the effort.”