When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer Read Walt Whitman’s poem below. What implications may it have, not just for this course, but for your...

If you are pursuing a master's degree, you are going to
have to learn a lot of information. Depending on your field, it may be mathematical
formulas, scientific data, a vast body of literature -- no matter. However, in this
poem, the poet acknowledges that sometimes one can suffer from information
overload.

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When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in
columns before me;

When I was shown the charts and the
diagrams, to add, divide and measure
them;

When the poet considers
all of the "stuff" of learning, he becomes bored and goes outside and looks at the night
sky. Ah! He is instantly amazed, for in gazing at the sky, he is really learning. He is
not bored. He is soaking in a true appreciation of the world. He can learn more by
observing the real "learned astronomer" who is the creator of the
"perfect silence" of the stars. It is a mystical experience for
him.

So, like the poet, will the learning that you obtain
from your advanced degree enrich your life? It should. If not, it will merely be proofs,
figures, charts and diagrams.