AUTODIDACT’S JOURNAL

*If you’re too lazy to look it up, ‘autodidact’ means ‘self-teacher’.

#15
The current situation with the coronavirus (as etymologically
described last issue) seems to be all anyone can talk about. It’s true
that the isolation, nervousness and annoyance is one thing we all
share right now, but doesn’t it get monotonous hearing the same
words from everyone?

During WWII, many comics and films switched topic and became
almost propaganda. A purpose of this change was ostensibly to help
children be less afraid and uncertain. However, the cartoons without
the war details were appreciated just as much at the time as a
welcome distraction from the grim reality around them.

This is why we don’t make all our articles about the virus. True, it
would be easy, relevant and educational; but is that what you really
want to hear about? Take the opportunity to escape from all the
gloomy news articles and enjoy the writing of your fellow
autodidacts. In fact, we’d very much like to do the same and read
your writing.

The Editors would like to suggest that you do the same in your
conversation with the people around you. Check in on them by all
means; ask how they are; offer help; but don’t make yourself dull by
sticking to the same conversation topics as everyone else. Share a
book you’ve recently enjoyed (haven’t you been loving the extra
time to read?). Describe the latest antics of your pets. Pass on a
fascinating new science concept you’ve learned. Send a properly
sterilised letter. In short, do anything to add variety to the lives of
other people in isolation.

We trust that in this brief period of increased remote

communication, you will take the opportunity to demonstrate the
autodidacts’ resourcefulness. The many people forced into learning
at home could use your help, advice and encouragement. Let’s
support the people temporarily joining us, and hope they decide to
stick around.

- The Editors

If you have any questions, comments or submissions, please email us at autodidactsjournal@gmail.com

or look us up at www.autodidactsjournal.press!
 AUTODIDACT’S JOURNAL
A Failed Meeting:
I back up slowly, trying to see the big
clock of the plaza. How late is he?
Suddenly I bump into someone, losing
my balance and my briefcase.
“Sorry,” I say, scrabbling about for my
scattered papers.
“Martin!”
I glance up. It’s Clark!
“Where on earth have you been all
this time?” he growls, pulling me to
my feet.
“Waiting here for you, of course,” I
retort.
He stares at me.
“What?”
“Waiting here for-”
“I heard you. Were you in a store, or
walking around, or . . .?”
“Nope.” Despite the waste of time, I’m
beginning to enjoy myself. “I’ve been
standing here watching the clock the
whole time.”
He sinks onto the curb,
absentmindedly picking up my
briefcase.
“I’ve been sitting on that bench all
this while.”
He stands up sharply.
“That means – we’ve been waiting
here for the past two hours practically
right next to each other?”
His expression is so annoyed that I
can’t help snickering. He scowls.
“Shut that up. It’s not funny; we’re
going to be late. Let’s go.”
He grabs my arm and propels me
toward the train station.
-Chari
Education in Roman Times
A law in England states that all
parents must ensure their children get
an education. This was not the case in
Roman times. Poorer families couldn’t
afford to send their children to school,
so they had no education. On the
other end of the spectrum were the
wealthy, who sometimes hired private
tutors. In the middle were the school-
goers.
Roman schools were much cruder
than modern schools. About a dozen
children sat in one room, and wrote on
wax tablets or pottery. The schools
were also much stricter: lessons
started at dawn, and the teacher was
at liberty to whip the children if he
thought fit. In fact, the word
'discipline' comes from the word for
Latin teaching, 'disciplina'.
Children started their education by
learning to read at home. Home
education was the father's duty,
although it was sometimes passed on
to a paedagogus: a slave, who would
later escort the child to school. The
paedogogus was often Greek, as the
Romans greatly respected the learning
of the Greeks.
When the children were six or seven,
they could either continue their home-
learning, or attend a ludus litterarius.
Through this primary school, they
would learn reading, writing, and
arithmetic. After primary school, they
might attend grammer school, where
they would learn Greek and Latin
grammer. After grammer school, the
very wealthy might move on to study
rhetoric, the art of public speaking.
Girls stopped their education at
twelve or thirteen, as they needed to
prepare for marriage. They usually
married a couple of years later.
-Matrika
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In Defence Of Reading Fiction:
The hobby of reading is often despised by
the more practically minded among us.
They throw many accusations at those
who are passionate about reading, telling
us that we are impractical, detached from
reality, or passively consuming instead of
producing.
Some of those attacks hit true: after all,
reading rarely causes instant originality,
and does much to destroy the posture.
Fiction reading seems even more wasteful
and useless: why spend your time in
another world that doesn’t exist, when
you have so much to do in this one?
Many of the great thinkers, like CS Lewis
and GK Chesterton, disagree. Chesterton,
for example, points out the implicit
lessons in fairy tales which will be passed
on to their young readers. They teach
what is normal by pointing out what is
abnormal; it is possible to gain an
appreciation for the greenness of apples
only once you have been startled by the
abnormality of golden ones. Fairy tales
serve as a lecture on reality in this way, a
fanciful depiction that invites a child to
‘compare and contrast’ (as the exam
papers love to suggest) their scenarios
with those of the real world, and by so
doing discover new perspectives on the
ordinary.
So much for toddlers’ stories. What can
fiction bring to the autodidact who is too
mature for such fantasies? It is in their
nature to question and learn at every
opportunity, and it is in the study of
character that fiction comes into its own.
You can describe a character for pages
and pages: the natural response will
always be ”Show me such a person.” And
how better to display a character than by
allowing them to interact with others?
Anyone who seriously and wholeheartedly
reads a well-depicted character cannot
help loving them, even if they do not like
them.
Tolstoy is famous for doing this exact
thing. Some people despise him as a
moralist; few deny that he is an effective
one. By demonstrating the state of mind
of each of his characters, he brings home
his points in a much more emotionally
effective way than by delivering a sermon
on the subject.
There are, however, dangers. Because of
this potency of fiction, it is vital to be
moderate and prudent in one’s intake. As
Symperasma commented last issue,
binge-reading fiction can lead to
dissatisfaction with the real world and a
craving for the fictional one. Also,
absorbing too many unsavoury characters
can have a detrimental effect on your
own – don’t idolise them or seek them
out! (The author may add that she speaks
from experience here.)
The dangers, however, should not alone
be enough to discourage you from
reading fiction. Take a moment to
remember everything fiction has taught
you: the people it has helped you admire,
the goals it has shown you, the facts
about the world it has taught you. It could
be as little as winning an extra mark in a
Biology exam by recalling a description of
a fight scene; it could be as great as
giving you the inspiration to pursue your
current course of study. Fiction is a
valuable tool to you as an autodidact:
don’t dismiss it as a naughty child who
tells lies.
-Profuga
(A/N: For a brilliant introduction to the
world open to any reader, try CS Lewis’s
An Experiment In Criticism, available from
Project Gutenberg. The author has read it
five times, and recommends this course
of action to the reader.)
 AUTODIDACT’S JOURNAL
Top 7 Tips For Coping With
The Isolation
1- Learn a new skill. If you normally 'just
don't have the time', now is the best time
to learn something new.
2- Read! A great many autodidacts will be
returning from their isolation with
improved minds!
3- Create video calls with friends. A good
way to keep in touch with friends is to see
them and talk to them.
4- Keep a diary. If you can look back later
on how you've spent the time, you will be
more likely to use it profitably.
5- Create a daily challenge. If you make a
daily challenge, and keep a record of it,
you will have something to get up for in
the morning!
6- Exercise each day. Government rules
allow for going out once a day, and the
mental health ought not to be sacrificed
for the physical!
7- Stay positive! All things come to an
end, except maybe things to do.
-Venia
First Aid: Seizures
A seizure consists of involuntary
contractions of the muscles. In
adults, it’s usually caused by
something interfering with the
brain: drugs, head injury, or oxygen
deprivation, for example. The
common cause of seizures in
children is a high temperature
associated with infections.
For each case, the treatment is the
same: protect the casualty with
anything soft nearby (e.g. pillows
or towels); note when the seizure
started; and put them in the
recovery position when the seizure
is over (if they’re breathing).
Because a high temperature is
probably the cause in children, it’s
important to also cool them down.
For children, you should always
seek medical advice.
You should only call 911 (or 999)
for adults if they have repeated
seizures or if it’s their first; they
don’t know why they had it; it lasts
longer than five minutes; they’re
unresponsive for more than ten
minutes; or they’ve sustained an
injury on account of the seizure.
There are many ways to detect
seizures. In both adults and
children you can often find an
arched back; loss of bladder or
bowel control; loss of response (or
impaired response, in children);
and saliva appearing at the mouth.
An absence seizure is the special
case where a person simply stops
responding. They may twitch or
move repetitively, but will not
respond when you talk to them or
touch them. The casualty should
come to on their own, and you
should reassure them, make them
comfortable and then apply the
same criteria for calling the
emergency services as above.
-Matrika/Profuga
(A/N: A seizure can be permanently
damaging, even if it didn’t look
that severe. We reiterate: if it’s
their first seizure, call 911.)
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-Chari