ESSAY TOPIC 4 : It has been said, “Not everything that is learned is contained in books.” Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?

( you're free to use this as an example.)

In my opinion both books and self experiences are probably the best sources of learning new things. Both are really important and helpful. But learning from books and from your own experiences are so different and each makes people think differently. One may think books are better for learning, others may choose personal experiences. But as for me I like and prefer to learn from my own experiences.

First of all, I think personal experiences make you understand things better and the way you actually need them to be understood. Because you may read books, understand and learn from them, but you won’t feel them completely. You start to think the way the writer wants you to think. While having your personal experiences you depend on your own life and experiences, which I think we need more. For example, last year I was reading an e-book on my school web page containing articles written by the students that were going to graduate that year. I read about how exiting they were about their graduation and how they were suffering for their exams. To be honest I didn’t feel anything while reading it. But about 2 weeks ago I also wrote same kind of article, as now I am just exactly at the same position as they used to be a year ago. It felt a little bit weird because I wrote the same as they did, but this time I felt it, because I’m experiencing it now.

Secondly, books may turn you to the wrong direction, because it’s based on someone else’s experience, who has a totally different life and different feelings.  You have never met the writer, you won’t ever know what he was feeling while writing the book or article. You may guess it from the words that he uses or from describing his feelings, but won’t ever feel the same things as he felt while writing, so you can always understand his thoughts wrongly. I have a friend who kept on arguing with everybody. So he started to read books to understand how to be calmer and nice to people. He turned to be sad and upset about everything. He started not to talk to anybody as he was scared to turn it into an argument. The book had a strong impact on his life, it may helped him a little bit, but after reading it he didn’t turn into the person he wanted to be, but from thinking and realizing what he actually wants to do.

To summarize, in my opinion both are good sources for learning and understanding things. Book is a really good teacher for us, it increases the way we think, the way we act but for me experiencing things and learning from them are better for me.