Wash Post: Five habits of great students: Lessons from top-ranked STEM school

[iemitsu]

19. Excellent questions LWolf.

While it is certainly true that there are many "forces" in our lives that we cannot control it is also true that the more we understand and the better our thinking skills, the easier it is to anticipate what the "forces" might be and what influence, on our lives or pocketbooks, they might have.
Even having a solid storehouse of knowledge and good thinking skills does not always mean one can beat the "forces" or negate the power they exert but it does provide one the perspective needed to gracefully learn from and to move on from, when the "forces" dictate conditions in our lives.
Many Americans seem to think that the only value in an education is measured by the dollars it adds to one's lifetime earnings.
Having the ability to think for one's self and the background knowledge and skills that come with being interested in figuring things out is its own reward.
Money can't buy the satisfaction that comes with being able to figure things out, with being able to solve problems, and with taking care of one's self and one's loved ones. No one can give you that feeling, you have to earn it.