I love this a lot, even though its context isn't entirely clear, because it's undeniably true that we will forget more than half of the things we've studied in an academic setting. But I still really love learning, and I will even go as far as to say that I am a fan of academia. What?! It's true though. I can sit at home and immerse myself in all of the things I'm already interested in learning about OR I can sit in a classroom and be forced to learn about things I otherwise may have never covered. And of course it's always a magical moment when mundane classroom learning and personal interests collide, and you find your instructor referencing Simon and Garfunkel lyrics or a Coen Brothers movie, but I suppose what I'm getting at is the fact that I can't imagine myself ever being completely satisfied with my knowledge of anything. I can't imagine ever claiming to have a "complete knowledge" of a subject without seeming ridiculously naive. I like that Wes admits here that he's forgotten almost everything he studied pertaining to his philosophy degree because it just goes to show that his investment in higher education was better spent on personal development. I hope to get that out of my own degree. I mean, I'm going to school to study film in theory, history, and context, and I'm so eager to learn, but at the end of the day, only a small fraction of the things I learn about will truly mean anything to me. And Rushmore will always be my favorite movie.-Leah
2 high fives:
Hey, I really liked this also. Reminds me of this book I read a few months ago called The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs, a memoir of this guy who attempts to read an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica.
ANYWAY, at the end of it he reflects about something that reminds me of your post, here: “I said before that I was remembering a lot more than I thought I would. That’s true. But I’m also forgetting a lot more. This seems paradoxical, but you have to understand - I just didn’t grasp the huge cubic volume of information I’d be ingesting. So I both remember more and forget more than I anticipated. There’s that much information. But man, what a world I’ve forgotten. I’ve forgotten more than many people have learned their whole lives. I’ve forgotten a small stadium of historical figures. I’ve forgotten a couple zoos’ worth of animals. I’ve forgotten a continent’s worth of towns, and equations to fill a thousand blackboards.”
So, yes, like you (I'm assuming) I find this inability to "know" (every)things humbling.
OH ALSO this: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/04/21/135508305/the-sad-beautiful-fact-that-were-all-going-to-miss-almost-everything
sorry I just really like this topic, I guess, k byeyeeeeeee
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