Yesenia+R’s+OpEd+Article

The Four Clubs By Yesenia Ruvalcaba March 25, 2010

It seems that somewhere around the age of 18 (give or take 10 years) something inside us decides “That’s it. I’ve had it, I’m done.” We resist learning. But why?

This is due to the four major ways people resist learning: by being rebels, unconscious, comfort junkies, and approval seekers. You may be asking “Wait, how can I identify these various types of ne’er do wells so as to steer clear of them in the future?” No worries, all will be explained.

The rebels don’t need to learn, because they know it all or they feel it’s their duty to challenge everything; the unconscious don’t remember why they should (But perhaps it’s due to their not being able to focus. Either way, we should pity them.) The comfortable find it too risky (and uncomfortable), and just “not worth it”; and the approval seekers don’t want to cause any ruckus as they think they will be ridiculed for being in pursuit of knowledge and they fear epic failure.

These “individual” oriented people perceive themselves as “independent”. The reality is that they have adopted a leg, arm or any-other-body-part twitch reaction to whatever law or “rule” or “code of conduct” is set before them. They are what we may refer to as perfect specimens of reverse psychology. (The best way to keep children from putting bugs in their mouth is to tell them they //must// put bugs in their mouth.) They view learning as some authority figure limiting their rights to what they can learn. This doesn’t make sense but then again neither do these “rebels without a cause.”
 * The Rebels **

SLOGAN: “Authority you tell us we’re no good. Well, authority, //you’re// no good.”

MOTTO (without the first two words): “…and the horse you came in on!”

These poor saps are the ones who look like they are not all there because, well, they’re not //all// there. They’re not stupid or idiotic; they’re just somewhere else, like an exotic island, a concert, or an ice cream parlor. They are not dumb, they’re “imaginative”. However, they try their best and hardest to appear dumb, asleep or drugged around anyone they don’t feel like dealing with (I presume this works because I encounter this a number of times before I catch on to the pattern). They simply want to be left alone by any, and all, authority figures.
 * The Unconscious **

SLOGAN: “You can’t expect much from me, so you can’t criticize me because, uh, um, what was I saying?”

MOTTO: “Huh?”

The best ways to know your worth, according to these individuals, is to have others tell you how simply awesome you are. They work so hard for other’s approval and acceptance, while they rarely bother seeking their own. It’s alright though, because their opinion of themselves doesn’t count. They are unworthy, and as far as they care to know, an unworthy persons opinion has no worth. These are the polar opposites of the rebels: rebels think others are below them; approval seekers think others //too// above them. They would run for class president, but fearing rejection, they win treasurer by a landslide.
 * The Approval Seekers **

SLOGAN: “What can I do for //you// today?”

MOTTO: “Nice shoes!”

These people are the ones who hide in comfort. All that is (or might be) uncomfortable is avoided (unless avoiding it would be uncomfortable), and all that might bring comfort is sought after (unless the seeking after is uncomfortable).
 * The Comfort Junkies **

SLOGAN: “Comfort at any cost! (Unless it gets too uncomfortable.)”

MOTTO (from Tolkien): “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole and that means comfort.” They memorize as much of their motto as is comfortable.

You’ve probably already categorized certain people around you in one of these I Don't Feel Like Learning Anymore Clubs International. You might have even identified yourself with one of these clubs. (Note: If you reject the idea of being in any category, you’re a rebel. If you accept what you’re friends say you are most like, you’re looking for approval. If you “forget” to ask, perhaps you are of the unconscious kind. Too afraid or lazy to ask? You seek comfort. And if a buddy says, “You don’t fit in any of these. You seem to be better than all of them!” that person is probably looking for your approval.)

My suggestion is that if a poor uneducated, unconscious-rebelling-comfort-junkie-approval-seeking-soul wishes to truly learn and appreciate the process of learning, stop being stubborn, afraid or apathetic enough to realize that learning can be accomplished. The best way to adopt this mode of behavior is practice (sorry if it gets too uncomfortable). Whether you prevail with your head held high or fail with flying colors the choice is always yours.