For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been learning about using Linux for personal computing. This is simply a result of following my curiosity. It may have started from watching one of the videos recommended to me by YouTube. It could also have been from a post I read on a blog. Whatever the cause may be, I’m hooked. The next thing you know, you’re learning about that thing as much as you can. Time ceases to exist. You stay up late. You keep watching despite the evening yawns. There is something about it that pulls you. Maybe the future possibility of using the thing. Maybe it’s your heart telling you what you might be interested in, lest you use your mind to hold you back. You know feeling trumps thinking any day. Actually, it doesn’t even matter why you’re interested in the thing. It could well be that you’re simply learning for the sake of it. Perhaps that’s what Seth Godin calls enrollment. Whatever the case may be, you’re inspired. This is the kind of learning that cannot be taught with formal education. Anyway, I’m reminded of a quote by the Canadian designer, Bruce Mau, who said: Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there. Rabbit holes can be a wonderful source of learning about things that can take you to interesting places. The only thing is that they are not meant to be an “escape” from your life. You are as interested in that thing you’re learning about as you’re with the rest of your life. It’s just that you might end up spending most of your discretionary time learning about that thing for the time being. There’s nothing wrong with that.