Sparky's Journal

📅 April 2, 2026

The Importance of Choosing to Learn

It amazes me to see comments online—and even in everyday life—from people who simply do not want to learn anything. They seem perfectly content living in their own version of reality without seeking knowledge or understanding. To each their own, I suppose. But if you don’t care to learn, then don’t waste the time of people who are trying to teach.

What really stands out to me is that there are people out there dedicating their lives to education and mentorship. Individuals like Paul Abernathy, Mike Holt, and Dustin Stelzer spend countless hours teaching others, sharing their knowledge, and encouraging people to improve themselves—not just as electricians, but as professionals and as human beings.

The electrical trade is one of the most demanding and time-consuming trades there is. The reason is simple: we are working with forces that most people barely understand. Electricity operates according to the laws of physics—and to some, the laws of God, or at least a force far greater than our full understanding. These forces control much of the modern world around us. Almost everything we rely on daily depends on electricity in some form, yet it’s something many people take for granted.

When I see educators explaining electrical theory or safety concepts and the response from some people is, “Who cares?” “So?” or “I already know this,” it’s frustrating. The same goes for sitting in a classroom while someone is trying to teach and watching people fall asleep or completely disengage. I understand that people get tired of their jobs, or that life happens. But knowledge is one of the most valuable things we can pursue. Sometimes it’s worth drinking a cup of coffee and pushing through. It might even be the thing that pulls you out of whatever slump you’re in—if you decide to actually care.

Learning should never be seen as something reserved only for engineers or scientists. Mathematics isn’t just “engineer stuff.” Electrical theory and physics aren’t just “science talk.” Learning is a fundamental part of being human. It’s how we grow, how we solve problems, and how we improve the world around us.

I’m not saying you need to be a teacher’s pet or bow down before anyone who teaches you. But at the very least, put some effort into wanting to gain knowledge. Even being a quiet observer is better than completely disengaging.

If a question comes to mind, don’t be afraid to ask it. Even if it sounds dumb to you, it’s still a question—and asking it means you’re putting in the effort to understand something better.

At the same time, you can’t be afraid to search for answers yourself. In this day and age, you have to be your own teacher and guide as well. You need to learn how to point yourself in the right direction and stay aware that not everything you hear or read is correct.

There will always be people who gatekeep knowledge or simply don’t want to see others succeed. That’s part of life. You have to learn how to maneuver around that and find the people who genuinely care about helping others grow.

People like Paul Abernathy, Mike Holt, and Dustin Stelzer are great examples of educators who dedicate their time to sharing knowledge and helping others succeed.

There’s an old concept that explains this well: if you don’t know how to fish, you will never eat. If someone teaches you how to fish, you can feed yourself. If someone refuses to learn how to fish, they will always depend on others. And if nobody learns or teaches, nobody eats.

The concept is simple—knowledge is survival.

Every trade, every profession, and every advancement in society exists because someone chose to learn something new and then pass that knowledge along. Progress only happens when people are willing to listen, think, and grow.

I’m grateful to be learning from great educators—not just through the internet, but also in my Bay Path night classes. I was fortunate enough to get in at the right time, with a group of teachers who genuinely care about teaching.

Finding people who truly care about sharing knowledge is rare.
Finding people who care enough to learn from them can be even rarer.

So whether you’re an electrician, a student, or someone simply trying to improve yourself, strive to learn something every day. Respect the people who dedicate their lives to teaching, and never take knowledge for granted.

Because without learning, nothing moves forward.

But hey—what do I know?