Let''s stop hating Math

[Bridge]

I think the main reason why most people hate it is because they are forced to learn it before they actually know why they should learn it - it has a very alienating effect. It's not a problem unique to math, I'd say it's the same story with all subjects whose benefits are not intuitively obvious. The fact that you have no choice makes you hate it all the more. Then, of course, when you go out into the world and your education becomes applicable you discover for yourself exactly why you were forced to learn it - but by then it's too late.

Growing up I always resented the idea of learning Danish because it is by all rights a remnant of Danish colonial rule. I hated the way it sounded and the fact that I couldn't utter a single correct sentence so I always got low grades. Immediately after graduation when Danish was no longer mandatory - I wanted to learn Danish. It's very useful especially as an introduction to German (or even the other Scandinavian languages because they have more in common with Danish than Icelandic) because it lies more or less halfway between Icelandic and German, and (the reason why we are taught it) Denmark is actually a pretty badass place. A lot of people go there to study or work and while I don't think I will do that it is certainly not bad to have the option. Now I regret hating Danish lessons even though I was fully justified in doing so.