Relearning Mathematics!

I used to know a fair amount of math. I earned a minor in mathematics as well as a degree in computer science. So, at some point I was pretty well versed in math.

These days, however, I'm lucky to be able to add two numbers together correctly! What happened? Well, apparently, if you don't exercise your math muscles you lose them.

So, I've decided my current mathematical illiteracy is unacceptable. I've decided that I'm going to go back and relearn all the math I've forgotten.

As a first step, I went to the library and checked out Concrete Mathematics by Knuth et al. I've been told that this a classic text that all good computer programmers should have read. Needless to say, I've never read it.

I've been slogging my way through the book for a few weeks now. I'm only 4 chapters in and I don't think I've gotten a single problem correct yet. That's probably an exaggeration, but only a small one.  What I've come to realize is that I've forogotten how to thing mathematically.

Mathematical thinking is a very specific kind of cognitive process. It requires the strict, almost mechanical application, application of logic.  In other words, it's a mode of thinking that has almost no use in our daily lives.

So, the question I'm grappling with is: Is it worth relearning how to think mathematically?