For the aunties in the vegetable market, calculus is definitely something useless, it doesn't help them sell vegetables at all. But if they knew calculus, maybe they wouldn't have to sell vegetables anymore.
Many people have the same attitude towards English. What's the use of learning this thing? Will it make my takeout arrive on time?
Self-awareness
To answer this question, we need to first understand our own habits. For example, we tend to perceive the world around us through old experiences. After all, past experiences are our only wealth, something that we have obtained with great difficulty. No one wants to start from scratch. So after graduation, whether it's in life, work, or entertainment, we may not have much contact with English. At this time, we may feel fortunate that we didn't waste more time on this useless thing.
We only do what we think is right
When we see someone eating ice cream and then look at the ice cube in our hands, we would say, "Ice cream is sticky and disgusting, not as good as my ice cube for cooling down." This is also a habit, that we only do what we think is right. Everyone else is learning English, but I'm not. What I'm doing must be right, and the problem must be with others. I've already bought an Android phone, so people who buy iPhones are idiots. I can list a bunch of disadvantages of iPhones to prove that choosing Android is absolutely correct.
But if you master English, maybe when you were interviewing for a job, you would have more options. As the most widely used language globally, you would also be able to understand more international information, culture, business, knowledge, and technology, expanding your horizons. So whether English is useful or not, don't listen to the opinions of those who haven't learned it. Look at what people who have mastered English have to say.
Seeking benefits and avoiding harm
Alright, after saying so much, I admit that it is useful, and I will go and study it. But many people prefer to let others take responsibility for the results. They go to classes, research various techniques, and various amazing tools. It's like the saying, "The more stationery a poor student has, the more they will fiddle with it." After trying all of this, they find that it's still too difficult and they haven't seen any results. It's better to watch a three-minute short video and gain satisfaction from learning miscellaneous things. They find a reason to retreat and convince themselves. And then, it's over. After all, our instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm makes us prefer to stay in our comfort zone. When we were in school, we didn't learn English well, and we were already harmed. Now, if we try and still can't succeed, we may never have the confidence to learn this thing again in our lifetime.
Instinctive reactions
This situation can be seen in learning various things. Before being knowledgeable, I had a conversation with a fan. He is still in college and has more free time. He has studied AI, painting, psychology, and postgraduate entrance exams. The more he learns, the more he realizes how little he knows. So he wants to explore various fields. You may think he is knowledgeable, but as positive feedback decreases, it becomes harder to make progress. Or rather, the dopamine stimulation in his brain decreases, and he starts to study e-commerce. It can only be said that he hasn't been able to control himself yet, and he is still just a slave to instinctive reactions.
Seeking answers within ourselves
So we can't help but ask, is our fluency in our native language due to our mastery of grammar, phonetics, or homophones? Are those keyboard warriors competent because they have good Chinese language scores or have studied Lu Xun's articles? It's more because we are constantly exposed to our native language, while we may only spend 45 minutes a day learning English. The effort we put in and the rewards we receive are definitely proportional.
Self-study of English
So if you still have a thirst for knowledge and want to set sail again, you need to be prepared with unwavering perseverance and determination. I recommend that you take a look at the introductions to self-study of English by these two experts. They teach you how to learn a language, not how to score high in English exams.
Other
In fact, many people still maintain curiosity about the knowledge in this world. For example, the popular "Matchstick Men and the Beauty of Mathematics" in the past few days has made many people realize that they actually like mathematics, they just dislike it as a subject. If you can't understand it later on, you can watch the interpretation video of "The Ponderings of a Comic Artist" on Bilibili. For example, why can't any number be divided by 0? Teachers may be too lazy to explain it to you, but you will understand it after watching this video. When you learn about square roots in junior high school, you may ask what it represents if it's a complex number. The teacher will only tell you that negative numbers cannot appear in square roots. That's the end of your curiosity. It's a bit off-topic.
Out of ignorance, I have classified and organized various websites related to English learning that I have collected over the years. Whether it's for exams or to improve your weaknesses, you can find everything you need in there. Explore it yourself. I hope it will be helpful to you.