There are many ways to gain knowlege. But if we divide it into two big groups, it would be done by reading books, or by experiencing it. Both ways have their own advantages and disadvantages. Knowledge from books are easier to attain, because you only need to read the book and understand it. However, you cannot use that particular knowledge in any kind of situation you face, because you have not actually experienced it. On the other hand, knowledge gained by experience is more adaptable to any and all kinds of situations, and gives you a clearer picture of it. Moreover, it teaches things that cannot be learned with books: things that are hard to understad only with the logics.
First of all. by knowledge gained from experience can handle situations more flexibly than books, since you have done it before and are capable of recalling that experiece to do exactly what you did before. Eventhogh the circumastances are different from the past, you are able to recollect your memories, and know what has to be done, and what needs to be avoided, and will easily overcome the problems. For instance, lets say you were babysitting a child, and the child suddenly cries. Eventhough you would be in a panic, when you have done things like this before, you would calm down, and try feeding the baby or check on it's diapers just as you handled this kind of situation before. However. if it was your first time babysitting, you would panic for a longer time, and be lost of what to do, making the situations worse. Think of this. Who would be a better babysitter? A Rookie who has mastered all books related to childcare, or a nanny who had taken care of children more than 25 years?
Secondly, there are certainly things that cannot be learned only by books. I agree on the fact that books contain tremendous amounts of knowedge, but there are things which are too complicated to understand only by the logics. If you were to learn a language or about another culture, you would definatly start reading the books first. However, when yu actually go to that country, you would learn something more, by experiencing thier lives yourselves. I am sure you cannot learn the feelings and the emotions that you feel at that country cannot be compared to what you learn by books. Also for another example, you cannot actually know how to ride a bike or drive, eventhough you read how to do them in books. You can't say that someone who understands perfectly how to ride a bike by reading can actually ride one, since he or she didn't do it in action.
Books are indeed important to gain knowledges, however, it's advantage cannot overcome those learned by experiemce. Experience, enables us to handle variety of situations based on the knowledge we gained which was done before, and it teaches us invaluable lessons that cannot be learned from books. |