Not What’s Much, A Lot Is Good, But …

Not What’s Much, A Lot Is Good, But …

As a child I was taught, advised to read, to learn a lot for my own good. So said Pak Arif to me.

What’s reading a lot? News, information, books? Almost wasting your time, burden yourself with a lot of worthless knowing. Reading a lot of novels? Why hurry and almost not enjoy it? Seeing TV, hearing a lot CD’s, I’ll get sated.

Learn a lot?. I’ve learned driving a car, but I have forgotten how to drive now. I’ve forgotten of what I’ve learned before: Mandarin, French, Biology, Civics, Grammar, … And I think of the foolish praise of general knowledge, perhaps for the sake to be esteemed, regarded as an intellectual, educated, sophisticated citizen. What does it profit me of just knowing Bach but haven’t heard a piece and enjoyed it? What’s knowing Picasso, Hemingway, Darwin, Newton, It’s even better to forget them but remember, enjoy his music, his paintings, his novels, value their thoughts.

There’s the captivating “Not Smarter Than A Fifth Grader” Starworld program on TV showing that we’re not smarter than a fifth grader.

I remember a Dutch saying, – who was it who said this beautiful thought? – Niet het vele is goed maar het goede is veel. Not what is much, a lot is good, valuable but what is good that’s worth much, worth a lot and invaluable.

I would learn to read less, but good, interesting topics, slow down, read it twice, … understand, enjoy it. When I want to know something, I can look it up in a dictionary, encyclopedia or search via Google.

Why waste, burden my life with reading, learning, hearing, seeing a lot with what I don’t like.

I never learned to remember the heroes, the kingdoms in the Mahabharata, But I still remember them and their stories after half a century. The Choir Conductor performs the pieces he loves with his choir and so remembers, even enjoys them better than on CD or VCD. Suppose subjects were taught like reading War And Peace, history, would then come to live, we would love the subject. rather than hate them as dead, stale, dreary, burdensome to be learned by heart. The Sea around Us, The Insect World Of Jean Henri Farbre would become unforgettable oceanography, entomology. And I imagine children in the future studying by internet showing Wild Life and other subjects live as on TV.

As I think of your Home Page, why should you hurry and turn out a lot of low quality writings. Certainly, you would like to dress it pleasing to the eye but that would take you a lot of time to learn the tailor’s trade and it doesn’t make your writings any the better. Good quality would always remain the same despite a poor appearance.

So Pak Arif advised me.

July 2008

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