It feels like we have to justify everything we do these days. A course must lead to a certificate or diploma that makes us more employable. A creative workshop has to give us skills we can turn into a side hustle. Productivity is the end goal because we’re encouraged to commodify everything, even our hobbies. We get this message from the government, our employers, and social media ads. Learning for pleasure is pointless at best, selfish at worst. In the last year, Reform UK have made wide-sweeping cuts to adult education courses in Kent and, almost overnight, creative workshops and arts courses disappeared from towns like Tunbridge Wells, though ‘job skills’ courses survived. Universities are culling their humanities departments too. Across the UK, the message is loud and clear: learning is only useful if it makes us employable.
The obvious argument against these short-sighted cuts is that humanities courses give us tonnes of useful skills that transfer into the workplace. Last we checked, most jobs require us to interact with other humans. Subjects like literature and philosophy make us more empathetic and challenge us to see from different perspectives. But even if humanities courses didn’t help our day jobs (though they absolutely do!), we still crave play in our lives, and that is enough reason to pursue them. We are curious and creative by nature and need opportunities to learn for learning’s sake. Facing pressures to be more productive, many of us have even outsourced our creativity to AI, and this comes at a cost. Something feels off in our bodies as we scroll through social media and see the same AI slop.
With all the major changes we’re living through right now, learning for fun is a radical act. Setting aside time to pursue our interests is not selfish. On the contrary. It sets an example for family and friends and says, ‘I’m nurturing my heart, and you should too’. In-person events, in particular, make us feel connected and present when so much of daily life is structured to do the opposite.
Learning for fun is the end goal. The whole shabang. That’s why we’ve set up pop-up events through Prose before Woes, so we can nourish hearts and minds and bring people together. A few upcoming events in Tunbridge Wells (details to follow):
OCT- Seasons of the Witch—Wicked, wise or misunderstood? Explore the history, folklore and literature behind one of culture's most enduring figures.
DEC- Winter Hauntings— Curl up with the ghosts of Christmas past as we explore the eerie tradition of winter ghost stories.
FEB- Retelling Jane Austen— From Bridget Jones's Diary to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, why do we keep reinventing Victorian classics?
Whether you’re able to join us or not, we hope you’ll listen to that voice inside that says to make a little time to follow your curiosity. Most of all, just have yourself a bit of fun!