A note to self

People often associate learning with formal schooling—a systematized and standardized classroom-based approach of educating (or zombifying) squares. In the past, this way of learning was limited to the bourgeoisie. But, just recently, I learned the hard way that this kind of privilege still very much exists today. Not just in Europe but all over the world.

The bougie, compared to muts like me, gets more opportunities to receive quality education. This is most probably why, even though most countries consider formal education a basic human right, most muts remain illiterate and uneducated. But does this kind of privilege really guarantee them bougies an upper hand in succeeding in life? Probably. Depends on the person's definition of what success is. But the punchline is, even with this kind of privilege, many bougies remain lost in life and dumb af. So maybe a quality education depends entirely on a person's (regardless of his/her social status, race, etc.) receptivity and committedness to learning.

Autodidacts like Da Vinci, Dickens, Miller, Faulkner, Twain, Hemingway, Orwell, Basquiat, van Gogh, Kahlo, Bowie, Zappa, Leeuwenhoek, Marx, Faraday, to name a few, were able to rig the system of learning to their advantage. Their successes are gold testaments to the effectiveness of self-learning. Self-learning takes more discipline, motivation, and committedness than formal schooling and is a method guaranteed to yield 100X higher learning satisfaction. It is also 100X more effective and more fun than dull ol’ formal education. At the end of the day, I have no one but myself to depend on to truly educate myself.

The World Wide Web, the ocean, the jungle, the streets of Madrid are all great learning hotspots. So for muts like me who wish to learn the hard knocks way around Madrid, make sure to take advantage of the daily free entrances for a limited time in selected libraries and museums.

In Prado and Reina Sofia museums, for example, one can soak up great art works by Goya, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Raphael, Bosch, Velázquez, Picasso, Miró, Dali, Serrano, Ernst, Kandinsky, Rivera, Rothko, Klee, et al for free on selected days.

Feeling hungry but short on cash? Simply fuel your noggin by buying a bottle or two of beer in selected restaurants that goes with a variety of free filling tapas. Or go to your local mercado. The fruits and vegetables are cheap af. Maybe try going vegan for a while? If you get the chance, befriend a local shopkeeper, bartender, farmer or dealer who can help you gain more wits on the right price to pay to avoid getting bamboozled.

Remember, you live in Estrecho now, a hotspot of illegal immigrants and cold-blooded criminals, a reputed Bronx-like zone of Madrid. You should be street smart. In fact, smarter than them lowlifes bummin’ around street corners.

The streets, the internet, the library, the museums, the entire Europe, the entire world is your classroom.

Learning is free and it is yours for the taking.