Continuance. by Graham

Continuance. by Graham - September 2018 Scholarship Essay

Continuance. According to Merriam-Webster, continuance means continuation. It is to continue, to endure, to persist. Yet in law, continuance means to adjourn. It is to pause and wait before continuing. Education is much of the same. The common belief is that you go to college, you get a degree, and you’re educated. After that, education is only for teachers, researchers, or scientists. I disagree.

In 25 years, I am about to turn 45 years old. At 45, my mom had no degree, minimal college education, and so much knowledge. She knows every muscle in the body and how to use it to make someone’s pain disappear. She’s helped countless people stop hurting and get back on their feet (literally). What my mom knows best is muscles: where they are, how to use them, and how to keep them strong. Part of strengthening a muscle is letting it rest; my mother practices the continuance of muscle strength.

To be truly educated is to know that you must always learn. To be truly educated is to recognize that education and intelligence atrophy — just like muscles — and must be exercised. At a very young age I began to construct an intense desire for languages, and I decided the ultimate success was to become a polyglot. I dedicated my life to languages, and the best thing about learning languages is that you can study every single day of your entire life and never run out of things to learn. Language learning is the perfect exercise to continue my education.

At 45 years old I am just starting to learn another language, but I am also reading books on economy, medicine, and business — things I never formally studied or dedicated myself to but things I desire to know. At 18, I learned how to seminar. The most important thing I learned during undergrad is how to talk and how to listen. Every class I took involved seminar: how to learn through community. In 25 years, I am talking, chatting, gossiping, and socializing. My ears are open and my mind is primed because learning is not individual and it’s not definitive.

In 25 years I see myself reading a book on linguistic structure, sitting in my living room with a mug of tea. I see myself nervous, gripping the podium in a great hall as I begin my lecture. I see myself at a lecture, taking notes from the other side. I see myself becoming out of date, doing things wrong, and getting corrected. I see myself watching the news, talking to my friends, and reading books I’ve already read. I continue to learn by doing, by listening, and by doing again.

And what of pauses? Education requires continuance, meaning continuation, but where does that legal pause play in continuing to learn? When do we rest our muscles in order to grow stronger? For me, everything I do is a continuance in both its meanings. I live by learning, and I rest from learning by living. Reading my books and talking to my friends both teaches me and relaxes me. Perhaps then a continuance of learning is for life to accord with education. The two are often treated as separate, but I see no difference between them. Life becomes stagnant without continuing to learn. In 25 years, I am 45 years old and everything I do is my continuance of learning. I am distinguished, educated, and hungry for more. I ceased my formal studies over 15 years ago, but my education is endless. My education withers without my continuance.