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Not the Same as Knowing

I've been looking at a lot of alien and sounds heard round the world type videos (I heard the rumblings in Utah back on Jan 9th, 2013) and was thinking along a line of random thoughts that led to wondering how I'd react should I see someone (or something) outside my window one day. This, oddly enough, led me to think of sign language, language in general and this post.

Having the world of information at our fingertips or having the Matrix-like ability to learn on command, is not the same as knowing. To have the ability to access information in your memory means your thoughts can also process new ideas and in different ways. Language, for example. I have taken two years of French and two semesters of college ASL. Once I learned them, I "tuned in" to different people and scenarios around me. I thought about different places and histories.

As the years passed and I no longer used it, the languages became foreign to me once again, but only in daily thought as I was to discover. I went to a convention in Las Vegas, for example and there was a convention next door for the deaf. One of my team was fluent in sign language and could communicate fairly easily. I had to stumble a bit, but after two days it came back to me and it's continued to connect since. Ironically, a few occasions to use it has also come up. I had a different but similar experience with French in a restaurant one time and blew my guests away with the sudden fluency of my conversation. Yes, I could use a translator but real knowledge is power in many ways.

With our mobile devices, we have on the go access to just about anyone and everything. There are some things missing, but it's hard to know even that unless you really have exterior knowledge of the otherwise disconnected information we study or learn objectively.

I think I"m going to learn a new language. My daughters are settling in to various pursuits as well but I'm hoping they will learn with me. Chess, drama, dance, programming are their current choices. I'm sure they will want to learn something new again in a year, but for now, it's interesting to watch their language, movements and actions change with their activities. They get stimulated in new ways and interact with different people, giving them depth to experiences. I'm similar in the StartUp and CEO communities. Yes, I'm a marketing consultant, but I like to express and learn my field by interacting with others that I'd like to learn from or work with more often. I'm also looking to start small classes to teach business owners about my field so they can better navigate the ever changing landscape and access free tools. In these ways, I can have a positive impact while always learning through application. It's why we used to have labs in science, eat chocolate while we read Willie Wonka and went sledding when we learned about friction. Well, I did those things because I had some really great teachers that immersed students in the learning process.

I love the Internet, I really do. The amount of things I can learn, but the best part is application and true experience. Knowing feels fluid and fun, kind of like the speech Will Ferrel gives in Old School.

Life is to live.

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