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Learning never ends.

Once you stop going to school, there are still plenty of opportunities to continue your education by reading articles and books, watching videos and lectures, listening to podcasts, or taking online courses to expand your knowledge and understanding of the world and how it works.

Knowledge is valuable. I personally take pride and joy in learning new things – and I consider it an important source of happiness in my life that isn’t necessarily tied to people or stuff.

I also try to expand where I get my information from. If you limit yourself to just the same sources, you could find yourself creating an “echo chamber” where you only hear facts and information that confirm your worldview, but you miss out on important information that may challenge it or question it.

Recently I’ve been exploring more documentaries, which I consider high in “education value” according to my information pyramid (which is a rough outline for how I categorize different information sources).

Over the past 2 weeks, I’ve tried to watch at least one documentary per day. I considered it a “personal challenge” in self improvement and it’s provided me with a lot of useful knowledge so far – the experiment has been a massive success.



Here’s a list of the documentaries I’ve checked out and enjoyed:

Planet Earth – A classic nature documentary series (and studies show nature documentaries can boost mental health).

– A classic nature documentary series (and studies show nature documentaries can boost mental health). Grizzly Man – A great feature about a unique man who decides to live with bears, directed by the legendary Werner Herzog



– A great feature about a unique man who decides to live with bears, directed by the legendary Werner Herzog Jiro Dreams of Sushi – A documentary about an incredibly passionate sushi chef, considered to be one of the best in the world.

– A documentary about an incredibly passionate sushi chef, considered to be one of the best in the world. Cave of Forgotten Dreams – Another Werner Herzog documentary about ancient cave art discovered in France.

– Another Werner Herzog documentary about ancient cave art discovered in France. Cosmos – Both “A Personal Voyage” with Carl Sagan (in 1980) and “A Spacetime Oddyssey” with Neil Degrasse Tyson are worth checking out if like space, astronomy, and science.

– Both “A Personal Voyage” with Carl Sagan (in 1980) and “A Spacetime Oddyssey” with Neil Degrasse Tyson are worth checking out if like space, astronomy, and science. March of the Penguins – The classic, heart-warming documentary following the life of penguins, narrated by the soothing voice of Morgan Freeman.

– The classic, heart-warming documentary following the life of penguins, narrated by the soothing voice of Morgan Freeman. Minimalism – An interesting exploration of “minimalism” and becoming less dependent on material things.

– An interesting exploration of “minimalism” and becoming less dependent on material things. The Elegant Universe – A great documentary to learn more about the mysteries of theoretical physics, string theory, and quantum mechanics.



– A great documentary to learn more about the mysteries of theoretical physics, string theory, and quantum mechanics. Man on Wire – A classic documentary about Phililppe Petit’s “artistic crime of the century.”

– A classic documentary about Phililppe Petit’s “artistic crime of the century.” Happy – A documentary about positive psychology and what makes people truly happy.

– A documentary about positive psychology and what makes people truly happy. Stress: Portrait of a Killer – An excellent documentary about the biology of stress, how dangerous it is, and how to better manage it (featuring neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky). I wrote an article about it several years ago.

– An excellent documentary about the biology of stress, how dangerous it is, and how to better manage it (featuring neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky). I wrote an article about it several years ago. BBC Horizon – A very long-running BBC series covering various scientific topic and discoveries.

– A very long-running BBC series covering various scientific topic and discoveries. Free Solo – Excellent documentary following a man’s ambitious goal to be one of the first free solo climbers of El Capitan at Yosemite Park

– Excellent documentary following a man’s ambitious goal to be one of the first free solo climbers of El Capitan at Yosemite Park Won’t You Be My Neighbor? – Amazing documentary about the historical life of Mr. Rogers.

– Amazing documentary about the historical life of Mr. Rogers. Exit Through the Gift Shop – An interesting view of the rebellious nature of street art and graffiti, featuring Banksy.

– An interesting view of the rebellious nature of street art and graffiti, featuring Banksy. Supersize Me – One man’s incredible journey to eat nothing but McDonald’s for a month.

There are so many great documentaries out there, so the possibilities are really endless.

The first step is to ask yourself…What type of documentaries do you like? Nature? Biographical? Historical? Social Causes? Anything Weird or Interesting?

A lot of the documentaries I’ve been watching can be found on Netflix, Amazon, or even YouTube. Top Documentary Films is one easy and free resource to get started.

I would also recommend checking out your local library, you may be surprised by how extensive their movie and multimedia collections can be these days. They are a huge free resource that most people don’t take enough advantage of.

Here are great reasons to watch more documentaries:

Depth and breadth of knowledge – Documentaries can be a very effective way to introduce yourself to new topics, as well as gain more depth in certain topics you may already be knowledgeable in. They allow you to develop a more “well-rounded” base of knowledge, rather than just specializing in one thing.

– Documentaries can be a very effective way to introduce yourself to new topics, as well as gain more depth in certain topics you may already be knowledgeable in. They allow you to develop a more “well-rounded” base of knowledge, rather than just specializing in one thing. New conversation fodder – Documentaries give you new things to share and talk about with others. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself mentioning interesting facts that I’ve learned in documentaries at least once a day.

– Documentaries give you new things to share and talk about with others. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself mentioning interesting facts that I’ve learned in documentaries at least once a day. Introduce yourself to new worlds and lifestyles – Documentaries can often give you insight into different places and lifestyles that you’d otherwise have very limited exposure to. This provides you with a greater perspective outside of your own experiences.

– Documentaries can often give you insight into different places and lifestyles that you’d otherwise have very limited exposure to. This provides you with a greater perspective outside of your own experiences. It keeps your brain active – Documentaries keep your brain active by giving your mind new information to absorb and think about. Without active learning and engaging yourself, our minds often stagnate and become stuck in the same patterns of thinking.

– Documentaries keep your brain active by giving your mind new information to absorb and think about. Without active learning and engaging yourself, our minds often stagnate and become stuck in the same patterns of thinking. It’s fun and interesting – Documentaries are often fun and entertaining to watch. They are one of the easiest ways to learn new information due to our attraction to visuals, music, and story-telling. Many people are more likely to pay attention to a documentary than reading a book or listening to a lecture from a teacher.

Documentaries are a great resource for learning new things, but you should also keep in mind that not everything you learn in a documentary is automatically true.

Try your best to think critically about everything you learn, expose yourself to different viewpoints, and don’t take anything for granted. Don’t be afraid to do your own research if you find yourself questioning something you hear in a documentary.

Try a 2 week documentary challenge of your own. First, find a handful of documentaries that pique your interest, then schedule them out for the next 14 days. Watch them during your free time, consider substituting them with your normal routine of TV or video games. They will be a nice change of pace.



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