Moment of insight: generalization
What is generalization? It is the ability to learn something, and then find ways to apply it in other contexts.
Dogs suck at generalization. Usually, if they learn something, they learn it in the context of a particular situation. Getting them to discard the irrelevant data and focus on the one thing they're supposed to learn is very hard. Only a few breeds are smart enough to get around this, and even they have related difficulties.
Humans, however, are fairly good at this. You can generalize skills and information reasonably well. But if you train yourself not to, or try to connect truly unrelated things, that can cause problems. If you have 20 years' experience in the computer industry, but it's specifically in assembling power supplies, then you won't be much good at learning a new operating system, because you haven't learned what the generalizable skills are for operating systems, or which information is irrelevant.
This is what makes people afraid of new things: they don't know what information to keep and what to discard. Recording it all requires intense activation, and the easiest way to boost that activation is to become "aroused": an emotional state that occurs in high-stress situations, often leading to anger, fear, or other passionate emotional activity. But with only a little experience, as long as one is given time to contemplate it, one can gain confidence. Then less intense activation is needed in order to function in that environment.
Thing is, new experiences are important for keeping the mind functional. This means we can't simply settle for the old stuff all the time. It's a combination of passion and new experience that keeps the brain healthy and the mind open to change.
And how do you adapt to change? With the useful ability to generalize information, so that it is accessible in many contexts.
Thus the reason I keep saying, nothing learned is ever wasted.
Keep learning.
Dogs suck at generalization. Usually, if they learn something, they learn it in the context of a particular situation. Getting them to discard the irrelevant data and focus on the one thing they're supposed to learn is very hard. Only a few breeds are smart enough to get around this, and even they have related difficulties.
Humans, however, are fairly good at this. You can generalize skills and information reasonably well. But if you train yourself not to, or try to connect truly unrelated things, that can cause problems. If you have 20 years' experience in the computer industry, but it's specifically in assembling power supplies, then you won't be much good at learning a new operating system, because you haven't learned what the generalizable skills are for operating systems, or which information is irrelevant.
This is what makes people afraid of new things: they don't know what information to keep and what to discard. Recording it all requires intense activation, and the easiest way to boost that activation is to become "aroused": an emotional state that occurs in high-stress situations, often leading to anger, fear, or other passionate emotional activity. But with only a little experience, as long as one is given time to contemplate it, one can gain confidence. Then less intense activation is needed in order to function in that environment.
Thing is, new experiences are important for keeping the mind functional. This means we can't simply settle for the old stuff all the time. It's a combination of passion and new experience that keeps the brain healthy and the mind open to change.
And how do you adapt to change? With the useful ability to generalize information, so that it is accessible in many contexts.
Thus the reason I keep saying, nothing learned is ever wasted.
Keep learning.