85 and the Learning is still Alive!

By Catherine Courtney

To encourage senior citizens to take up serious college level studying as a hobby. Some of them will have years that they can devote to studying, that is precious time that should not be wasted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098395186

Book preview

Chapter 1: Why I Study

Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.

The older you are, the more difficult it is to learn, so they say.  That eventually has to be true because everything has to deteriorate.  However, I’m 85 and I believe that my ability to learn is the same as it’s always been, no better, no worse.

Furthermore, I believe that I’m not alone in that regard, that there are many senior citizens who feel that their mental abilities have not diminished.  It is not unusual for people over 80 to still be employed.  This is due in large part to the laws against age discrimination in employment.  Some of these people are working in professional positions.  Presumably someone who is working as a professional knows what they are doing.

However, there are also many seniors who have little or no opportunity to show that they have any intellectual abilities at all.  As a group, senior citizens are considered to be basically dumb.  Words like frustrated and confused are used in conjunction with their mental processes.  These prejudices are not countered by any encouragement either.  The closest seems to be stay active.

I’m writing this to try to help counter this prejudice and also to encourage senior citizens to take up studying as a hobby.

All human beings are proud of their knowledge.  It is not conceivable that anyone really wants to be ignorant.  The way that you acquire knowledge is through studying.  The more knowledge you have and are able to use the more it will show.  This makes it less likely that anyone can treat you like you are a child.

My hobby is studying.  It’s self-study, I do it on my own.  I feel that it brings excitement into my life and perhaps it might do the same for someone else. 

Practically the entire world of knowledge is just sitting there waiting to be explored, at least to the best of your ability.  Self-study has some limits that schools don’t have.  This could be equipment or labs that you may have to do without.  There could also be field trips that can only be taken by groups.  Still that leaves plenty to study.

Studying on your own is like owning your own school.  You’re the student, the teacher, the school administrator.  What is the school administrator for?  The school administrator has to get the study materials, I will get to that later.

You study what you want, and when you want to and at your own pace.  Your school exists only for your benefit.

Studying is the perfect hobby for seniors.  There is no risk of injury, it could cost very little, it could be done day or night and at any place.  Reading, I’ve heard, is the most popular hobby.  If you are not reading the right material, reading will not contribute to your intellectual development.

Unfortunately, studying and school get associated with work.  They say adults go to work, children go to school, like