My Personal Journey in Learning Various Courses

 

Professor Dr SC Ling in our WhatsApp chat group, wrote to me asking this question: which subject

do I think is the hardest to study after I have undergone different courses of studies.

Here is my reply, not just for her, but for everybody,  from students to scientists, doctors, teachers and to all professionals.

The Landscape of Learning: Why Some Subjects Are Easy, Others Difficult, and How This Shapes Science and Medicine

Education is a journey through diverse intellectual landscapes, some familiar and welcoming, others steep, abstract, or seemingly inaccessible. Every student, whether in school, university, or medical training, eventually asks the same question:

“Which subjects are the easiest, and which are the toughest?”

This question is more than curiosity; it touches on how the human mind learns, how different disciplines are structured, and why certain fields demand specific cognitive strengths. While difficulty varies from person to person, patterns do emerge across generations of students, teachers, and scientists.

Below is my feeling that blends educational psychology, scientific structure, and real-world experience, suitable for teachers, scientists, medical students, and the broader public. Again I need to emphasize this depends on the aptitude and interest of individuals who may differ from mine.  I would think mathematics stands out as first especially for young students.

1. Why Mathematics Stands as the Pinnacle of Difficulty?

Across cultures, mathematics is consistently ranked as one of the hardest subjects in any curriculum. This is not because students are “not smart enough,” but because mathematics is:

1.1 Highly Abstract

Mathematics deals not with physical objects but with symbols, relationships, the infinite, rates of change, and logical structures. The human brain evolved to deal with concrete survival tasks, not abstract symbolic systems. Thus, abstraction itself imposes cognitive strain.

1.2 Sequential and Interdependent

Mathematics is cumulative:

Without mastery of fractions, algebra is difficult.

Without algebra, trigonometry becomes confusing.

Without both, calculus becomes nearly inaccessible.

A single weak foundational concept can ripple across years of learning.

1.3 Logically Rigid

Mathematics resembles chess: one move must logically follow another. There is no room for guessing or approximation. This demands the following:

Strong working memory

Pattern recognition

Spatial reasoning

High-level logical thinking

1.4 The Higher Branches Magnify Complexity

While primary mathematics already challenges many, university-level mathematics, calculus, linear algebra, real analysis, abstract algebra introduces layers of abstraction unimaginable to most students.

This is why mathematics is rightly called “the queen of science” since every scientific discipline rests upon its foundations, yet very few ascend to its highest peaks.

2. Where the Sciences Stand: A Spectrum from Conceptual Ease to Abstract Difficulty

Every scientific field requires discipline, but some lean toward memorization and observation, while others demand heavy mathematical reasoning.

2.1 Physics: This subject is the most mathematically demanding science

Physics interprets the universe through mathematical laws; for example, motion, energy, fields, waves, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics. Even during my high school days in Batu Pahat, Johore, Malaya then,  physics requires algebra and trigonometry; and in my university undergraduate, physics depends on calculus, differential equations, vectors, and tensors.

Physics is difficult because it requires of the following:

Abstract thinking

Mathematical modeling

Visualization of non-intuitive concepts (e.g., quantum probability clouds, spacetime curvature)

Multistep reasoning

Thus, after mathematics itself, physics is often considered the hardest scientific discipline.

2.2 Chemistry, also an area I have learnt, it requires a balance of logic, memorization, and mathematical foundations. In organic chemistry

students struggle with:

Thousands of reactions

Structural variety (chains, rings, stereochemistry)

Mechanisms and electron flow

Reaction conditions and catalysts

Organic chemistry demands spatial intelligence and conceptual understanding, not just memorization.

Physical Chemistry (P-Chem)

This branch is deeply mathematical in these:

Thermodynamics

Kinetics

Quantum chemistry

Statistical mechanics

P-Chem sits at the intersection of physics, chemistry, and mathematics.

Analytical Chemistry

More procedural and methodical, from what I learnt:

Laboratory techniques

Instrumentation

Titration methods

Spectroscopy

It is often regarded as one of the easier branches because it is rule-based and systematic.

2.3 Biology: broad, descriptive, and more accessible

Many students find biology easier because:

It uses real-world analogies

Much is observable (plants, animals, human systems)

It is less dependent on mathematics

However, modern biology like genetics, molecular biology, immunology is becoming more analytical and data-driven.

3. Medical Sciences: Why some subjects are feared and others loved?

Medical education is a world of its own. Difficulty arises from:

Massive content volume

Need for integration

Clinical application

Long-term retention

Emotional engagement with real human suffering

Among medical students worldwide, certain subjects consistently stand out as especially challenging.

3.1 Anatomy: A mountain of details to remember, most of them unfortunately I have forgotten

Anatomy is considered one of the hardest preclinical subjects, at least to my experience because:

The body contains thousands of structures

Spatial relationships matter

Cadaver dissection is realistic, not idealized like textbook images

Students must memorize:

Bones, joints, muscles, arteries, veins, lymphatics

nerves, plexuses, organs, fascial planes, etc.

Its sheer volume can overwhelm even excellent students, and I do not have that aptitude for this subject. However, a good understanding of anatomy is very crucial to a medical student aspiring to be a surgeon on specialization later because he / she has to know and remember vital structures such as nerve and blood supply before he / she cuts   

3.2 Biochemistry: It is abstract and mechanistic.

Biochemistry is difficult because it requires:

Prior chemistry knowledge, which fortunate enough I have.

Understanding of metabolic pathways, enzyme kinetics, hormonal regulation is demanding. Without a strong foundation, students often view it as a tangle of names and arrows.

3.3 Pharmacology: I find this area constantly expanding and detail-heavy. Pharmacology demands memorization of drug classifications, mechanisms of action, side effects, contraindications, understanding on pharmacokinetics, drug–drug interactions

This field changes constantly, making it one of the most dynamic medical sciences.

3.4 Pathology: This to me is the heart of medicine.

Pathology integrates everything from anatomy, physiology, microbiology, immunology, biochemistry. Students must understand disease mechanisms, histopathology, and clinical correlations. This subject is both intellectually demanding and critically important in the understanding of medicine.

4. The subjects medical students often find easier are:

4.1 Physiology: The logical beauty of body function

Physiology is often regarded as:

Conceptual, logical, mechanistic, intuitively satisfying. Students including me, love it because it explains why the body works the way it does. It is often called “the queen of medicine.”

4.2 Microbiology, Parasitology, Virology, Mycology

These fields are easier conceptually:

Microbe → Disease → Treatment

Patterns are clear. Main challenge is memorization of names and classifications

4.3 Public health, community medicine, epidemiology, and ethics. These subjects have direct real-world relevance. They are less dense, and are easier to score in exams. They require understanding, not deep technical memorization.

5. Clinical Years: This area is the true test for a medical student. Clinical medicine is not a subject, it is an entire transformation. Students must how to examine patients, recognize signs and symptoms, and learn differential diagnoses if disease mimic each other in presentations of signs and symptoms. Students must learn to apply reasoning, communicate effectively, manage time under stress and how to face emotional challenges

The clinical years are intellectually, physically, and psychologically demanding. They teach not only medicine but humanity.

6. The Final Truth: The hardest subject depends on the mind that studies it. Every student is different.

Some thrive in abstract reasoning (mathematics).
Some excel in observation (biology).
Some enjoy systems and logic (physiology).
Some prefer memorization (anatomy).
Some love mechanisms (pathology).

But across many decades, one conclusion consistently stands firm:

Mathematics remains the most universally challenging discipline requiring the highest purity of logic, abstraction, and intellectual rigor.

Only a minority of minds possess the natural architecture to reach their upper peaks.

My concluding thinking is, the beauty of difficulty. Difficult subjects should not discourage students; they should inspire them. A subject feels hard not because the learner is “helpless” or “not intelligent,” but because every discipline taps into different parts of the human mind. Understanding this helps

teachers tailor their methods, students understand their strengths.  Doctors and scientists appreciate the diversity of human cognition. Educational systems evolve for the better.

The journey through education, from mathematics to medicine, is ultimately a journey through the architecture of the human brain itself.

As for my journey through all these years of learning on the subjects mentioned, among these courses and subjects.  

I cannot speak for others specifically. I can only speak on my own experience having done different unrelated courses  in 5 separate universities that took me over 15 difficult years to manage, I still find mathematics, especially higher mathematics like the various branches of calculus the most challenging of all sciences, technology and medicine - especially in medical research where mathematics, statistics and the collection of research data for mathematical and statistical analysis demands the best intelligent brains collectively.   

After all, mathematics is truly the Queen of all Sciences

I hope I managed to answer Professor Dr Marilyn Ling tough challenge / question  for me 

Beyond This World: The Biblical Basis for Jesus Divine Origin and Pre-Existence

 When I explained Jesus came from another world, jokingly among the estimated 2 trillion galaxies with some 300 sextillion (3×10 ²³) or 3 followed by 23 zeros in our Observable Universe, my brother-in-law asked me if Jesus was divine from birth, or when He was 12 or 30 or in between? He said he is very stressed trying to figure out if Jesus came from another world not ours but somewhere among such a vast cosmic sands of stars and other worlds.

Let me handle this very difficult and challenging question not just for my brother-in-law, but for everybody - scientists, theologians, believers, non-believer, or just the dumb lay readers sitting quietly in a corner reading this:

 From Beyond This World: The Biblical Basis for Jesus Divine Origin and Pre-Existence

Many Christians have long wondered when Jesus became “divine”: at birth, at age 12, at His baptism at 30, or at some point in between. Others, like my brother-in-law, are troubled by the idea that Jesus might have come from “another world” beyond Earth, especially in a universe containing an estimated 2 trillion galaxies and 300 sextillion planets that I mentioned earlier elsewhere.

The Bible does not describe Jesus as coming from a physical planet elsewhere in the cosmos. Instead, Scripture consistently presents Him as coming from a heavenly, eternal realm,  a reality outside the physical universe we inhabit. In that sense, He came from “another world,” but one above and beyond all created worlds.

This understanding is deeply rooted in both Jesus’ own words and the testimony of the apostles.

1. Jesus Explicitly Says He Came From Heaven

Several passages leave no ambiguity that Jesus claimed a pre-earthly, heavenly origin:

John 3:13 tell us  “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man.”

John 6:38 -  “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me.”

John 8:23 - “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” In John 16:28  it reveals  “I came from the Father and have come into the world; now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

1 Corinthians 15:47 reveals  “The first man was of the earth… the second man is the Lord from heaven.”

These verses state plainly that Jesus’ origin is not earthly. His birth in Bethlehem was not the beginning of His existence - it was His entry into our world.

2. Scripture Teaches Jesus’ Eternal Pre-Existence

Other verses go further, describing Jesus as existing before creation:

John 1:1–3, 14 tells us  “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God… through Him all things were made… and the Word became flesh.”

In John 17:5  Jesus prays, “Father, glorify Me with the glory I had with You before the world existed.”

Colossians 1:16–17 speaks of  “For by Him all things were created… He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Micah 5:2 speaks of the prophecy of the Messiah: “His goings forth are from of old, from ancient days.”

These passages show that Jesus did not become divine at any point; He always was divine, eternal, and pre-existent.

3. Jesus Himself Says His Kingdom Is “Not of This World”

When standing before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, Jesus makes a profound statement:

 “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)

This was not metaphorical. Jesus is directly claiming His authority originates from a non-earthly realm.

This is in tune with His teaching:

John 14:2  says “In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you.”

The “Father’s house” is not a location within the physical universe, but a divine realm beyond it,  a dimension we cannot observe with telescopes or instruments.

4. Theology Consistent with These Scriptures

Most Christian traditions teach:

Jesus is an eternal heavenly being. He took on human form at His birth (the Incarnation). His true origin, authority, and kingdom come from a realm outside the physical cosmos.

His birth in Bethlehem was the moment He entered our world, not the moment He began to exist.

Thus, Jesus did not become divine at 12 or 30.  He was divine from eternity, before time, before creation, before the universe itself.

5. A Harmonized Interpretation

When viewed together, these verses reveal a consistent picture:

Jesus came from a heavenly realm.

He briefly entered the human world.

His kingdom, authority, and nature remain rooted in a realm beyond this universe.

After His mission, He returned to the Father, the realm He originally came from. This understanding allows believers to appreciate both His humanity and His divine origin without imagining a physical extraterrestrial world.

My Conclusion: 

That “world” is not another planet among the cosmic sands of galaxies, but the eternal heavenly realm, the place where God dwells, and from which Jesus came to redeem humanity.

I believe my explanation that Jesus came from “another world”  is correct when understood from the biblical  point of view.

Let me re- write my thoughts in another way using a darker blue colour - under "The Cosmic Christ"  by combining astronomy, cosmology for the scientist, the theologian, the believers and non-believer and the lay readers    

The Cosmic Christ

How the Vast Universe and the Bible Together Reveal Jesus’ Origin Beyond This World

Humanity has always wondered where we came from and where the one called Jesus truly came from.

In an age when science speaks of 2 trillion galaxies and 300 sextillion planets scattered across the observable universe, it is natural to ask: If life could exist elsewhere, could Jesus have come from another world?

The Bible gives a remarkable answer, one that sits comfortably beside modern cosmology yet rises beyond it.

Christ did not come from another planet, but from another realm - a reality greater than space, time, matter, and the entire cosmic tapestry.

1. The Universe Opens Our Minds to a Greater Possibility

Modern astronomy reveals a universe so vast that the human mind struggles to grasp this figures:

2,000,000,000,000 galaxies. Each with 100–400 billion stars. They are scattered across 90+ billion light-years of space

With perhaps 300 sextillion planets,  more planets than grains of sand on Earth. This immensity humbles us. It stretches our imagination. And it reminds us that Earth is not the center of the physical universe.

Yet remarkably, the Bible already suggested that the true center of reality is not physical at all.

2. The Bible’s Testimony: Jesus Came From a Realm Beyond the Cosmos. Jesus repeatedly said He came from above, not from the Earth:

“I came down from heaven.” ( John 6:38)

“You are from below; I am from above.” (John 8:23)

“I came from the Father and am now leaving the world.” (John 16:28)

Paul echoes:

“The second man is the Lord from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:47)

These statements do not describe interplanetary travel. They describe inter-dimensional descent,  a being originating from a realm beyond creation itself.

3. Before Bethlehem: A Christ Older Than the Universe

The Scriptures go further, describing Jesus as existing before the Big Bang:

“In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

“All things were made through Him.” (John 1:3)

“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

“Glorify Me with the glory I had with You before the world existed.” (John 17:5)

This description astonishingly is in tune with modern physics.

If the universe began 13.8 billion years ago in a cosmic singularity, then Jesus - described as before all things, originates from a dimension older than time, outside space, and unbounded by matter or energy.

Scientists call this a pre-physical reality. Theologians call it heaven.

4. The Kingdom “Not of This World” - A Direct Statement to Science and Empire

When standing before Pontius Pilate, the representative of the greatest empire on Earth, Jesus made a profound declaration: “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36). This is not poetry. It is ontology, meaning, a statement about the nature of His origin. Not from another country. Not from another planet.
But from a plane of existence not bound by the laws of physics.

This is consistent with His promise:

“In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you.”(John 14:2)

A prepared place,  not in the Andromeda Galaxy, not in a star cluster,  but in a higher dimension of reality.

5. Cosmology and Scripture Speak the Same Language of Humility

Modern cosmology teaches, the universe is vast beyond comprehension. Earth is a small planet circling an average star. We are not physically central to the cosmos.

Scripture teaches, God’s realm is higher than the heavens. (Psalm 113:4–6). Christ came from a place not of this world. (John 8:23). The things we see are temporary; the unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Both the scientist and the theologian eventually reach the same conclusion:

Reality is larger, deeper, and more mysterious than what human senses can detect.

6. Jesus Enters Our Universe: A Divine Being Becoming Human

If Jesus existed before space and time…
If He created the galaxies…
If His kingdom is not part of this physical cosmos…

Then His birth in Bethlehem was not the beginning of His existence.  It was His arrival into our world. A dimensional intersection, a cosmic visitation, or a divine descent into human experience.

Christians call this the Incarnation.

In scientific language, it is the moment when the Eternal took on the temporal,
when the Infinite stepped into the finite, when the Creator entered His own creation.

7. A Message for Believers, Skeptics, Scientists, and Seekers Alike

For the scientist I have this to tell them:

The universe’s vastness does not contradict Jesus’ origin; it points to a reality even greater than the cosmos.

For the theologian I have this massage for them. The Scriptures affirm Christ’s eternal, pre-cosmic existence and His unique role as the bridge between realm

For the skeptic this is my message -  Jesus’ claims are not confined to ancient cosmology but transcend it - speaking of dimensions modern physics now explores.

For the ordinary reader, the simple truth is this:

Jesus did not come from Earth. He came to Earth to walk on Earth among humans

From a realm higher than galaxies, older than time, and deeper than all understanding.

My Conclusion: A Universe Big Enough for God

When we unite cosmology and Scripture, a breathtaking picture emerges:

The universe is vast. The physical world is not all there is. Jesus came from a realm beyond the created cosmos.

His kingdom, authority, and origin lie in that eternal dimension. And into this small, fragile world, He stepped  for us.

We are not alone in the universe. Not because of aliens on distant planets,
but because the Creator Himself entered the story of humanity.

This is the Cosmic Christ, the One who came from beyond this world to bring this world back to God.

I am lim ju boo (lin ru wu(林 如 武) - an eternal student learner