Knowledge

Have you ever met some one who knows everything? Now I don't mean that the person thinks they know everything. That is something different all together. Rather they actually seem like they do know everything.

Well I have and he is the most fascinating man I have ever met. He's a De La Salle brother in his eighties and seriously if you bring up a topic, he knows all about it and more.

My family had him over tea last night and I was wondering, while he was talking, whether or not, if I stared hard enough, some of his immense knowledge would seep its way into my empty chasms of brain space. Unfortunately this exercise was fruitless and probably looked somewhat scary to the poor man.

I am however resolved…I need to fill this very empty brain of mine with knowledge and though my own efforts and not by trying to steal excess brain from others.

Well that’s all very well, good, noble, ect ect but how on earth do you do it? Where in the sphere of knowledge (don’t know why I called it a sphere but it sounds good) do you begin? I do have my own interests. History, in particular the history of the Church, is incredibly fascinating to me. I have majored in linguistics at University (I have another bone to pick with education which deal with another day) which I just loved. And then there’s a myriad of other areas, literature, philosophy, anthropology, politics… I mean it’s just ridicules! There is just too much to know and too much to be interested in.

Perhaps it’s just my good Catholic upbringing but I don’t really see all of these things as separate ‘subjects’ as it were. I hate compartmentalising things. They are all interrelated and so, in order to really understand one area of study, you have to study everything else as well!
Yes, Miss Monification even Maths and Science (shudder).

Sigh, so perhaps you see my dilemma. Where do you start?

I’ve been thinking…perhaps the best way before you start looking at everything around you, maybe you should start by looking at you. Not you specifically but you, meaning, what are you. What is a human person? Hmmmm me thinks I might start there.

Next dilemma…..how to fit it all in between everything else that goes on in my life!