For the aunties in the vegetable market, calculus is definitely something useless, it doesn't help them sell vegetables at all. But if they knew calculus, maybe they wouldn't have to sell vegetables.
Many people have the same attitude towards English. What's the use of learning this thing? Will it make my takeout arrive on time?
Self-awareness#
To answer this question, we need to first understand our own habits. For example, we tend to perceive the world around us based on our past experiences. After all, past experiences are our only wealth, something that we have obtained with great difficulty. No one wants to start from scratch. So after graduation, whether it's in life, work, or entertainment, we may not have much contact with English. At this time, we may feel fortunate that we didn't waste more time on this useless thing.
We only do what we think is right#
When we see someone eating ice cream and then look at the ice cube in our hands, we would definitely say, "Ice cream is sticky and disgusting, not as good as my ice cube for cooling down." This is also a habit, that is, we only do what we think is right. Everyone else is learning English, but I'm not. What I'm doing must be right, and any problems must be with others. I've already bought an Android phone, so people who buy iPhones are idiots. I can list a bunch of disadvantages of iPhones to prove that choosing Android is absolutely correct.
But if you master English, maybe when you were interviewing for a job, you would have more options. As the most widely used language globally, you would also gain access to more international information, culture, business, knowledge, and technology, expanding your horizons. So whether English is useful or not, don't listen to the opinions of those who haven't learned it. Look at what people who have mastered English have to say.
Seeking benefits and avoiding harm#
Alright, alright, I admit it's useful. I'll go and learn it. But many people prefer to let others take responsibility for the results. They go to classes and study various techniques and tools. It's like the saying, "The more stationery a poor student has, the more they struggle." After trying all that, they find it too difficult and see little progress. It's not as satisfying as watching a three-minute video to learn some miscellaneous things. They find a reason to give up and convince themselves of it. And that's the end of it. After all, our instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm makes us prefer to stay in our comfort zone. If we didn't learn English well in school, we were already harmed. Now, if we try and still can't succeed, we may never have the confidence to learn this thing in our lifetime.
Instinctive reactions#
This situation can be seen in learning various things. Before being knowledgeable about something, try having a conversation with a fan. They're still in college and have more free time, so they study AI, painting, psychology, and preparing for postgraduate exams. The more they learn, the more they realize how little they know. So they want to explore various fields. You might think they are knowledgeable, but as positive feedback decreases, it becomes harder to make progress. Or rather, the dopamine stimulation in their brains decreases, and they start studying e-commerce. It can only be said that they haven't been able to control themselves and are still slaves to a bunch of instinctive reactions.
Seeking answers within ourselves#
So we can't help but ask, is our fluency in our native language due to our mastery of grammar, phonetics, or polyphonic characters? Are those keyboard warriors competent because they have good Chinese language scores or have studied Lu Xun's articles? It's mostly because we are constantly exposed to our native language, while we may only spend 45 minutes a day learning English. The effort we put in and the rewards we receive are definitely proportional.
Self-study of English#
So if you still have a thirst for knowledge and want to set sail again, you need to be prepared with unwavering perseverance and determination. I recommend that you take a look at the introductions by these two experts on self-study of English. They teach you how to learn a language, not how to score high on an English test.
Others#
In fact, many people still maintain a curiosity about the knowledge in this world. For example, the popular "Stickman and the Beauty of Mathematics" in the past few days has made many people realize that they actually like mathematics, they just dislike it as a subject. If you can't understand it later on, you can go to Bilibili and watch the interpretation videos of "The Ponderings of a Cartoonist." For example, why can't any number be divided by 0? Teachers may be too lazy to explain it to you, but you'll understand it after watching this video. When you learn about square roots in junior high school, you may wonder what it means if the square root is a complex number. The teacher will only tell you that negative numbers cannot appear in square roots. That's all for the curiosity. I've gone a bit off track.
Out of ignorance, I have categorized and organized various websites related to learning English that I have collected over the years. Whether it's for exams or improving your own shortcomings, you can find everything you need in there. Explore it yourself. I hope it helps you.