Liberate Yourself

 

At this point, you may ask, "How do I gain this knowledge?" That you will have to find out all by yourself. You must accept the fact that there is [no] help but self-help. For the same reason I cannot tell you how to "gain" freedom, since freedom exists within you. I cannot tell you what 'not' to do, I cannot tell you what you 'should' do, since that would be confining you to a particular approach. Formulas can only inhibit freedom; externally dictated prescriptions only squelch creativity and assure mediocrity. Bear in mind that the freedom that accrues from self-knowledge cannot be acquired through strict adherence to a formula; we do not suddenly "become" free, we simply "are" free.

TKDTutor Comments:  Apparently, Lee sees no purpose in experience or history. I would much rather have someone tell me that I will burn myself if I touch a hot stove than for me to learn for myself. We need people with previous experience to tell us what we should do or not do. Whether we follow the advice or not is an individual choice. As Will Rodgers supposedly said, "There are three kinds of men: those that learn by reading, the few who learn by observation, and the ones that have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves."

Learning is definitely not mere imitation, nor is it the ability to accumulate and regurgitate fixed knowledge. It's not? Apparently, all schools and colleges have it wrong then. Learning is a constant process of discovery, a process without end.

TKDTutor Comments: True.