Saturday 12 October 2024

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Monday Muse

Sinking Scholar

 

Learning from books can bring up only so much learning. We need to be better at practical wisdom, too.


An old fable showcased the scene of a renowned scholar being ferried across a wide river. To impress the boatman, the scholar described his various acquisitions in varied learning. However, when he learnt that the boatman had been only to basic school, he declared, ‘You have wasted half your life by not going to college.'

Mid-stream, the boatman asked him, ‘Sir, did you learn to swim?’ The scholar replied that he never got the time for such things as he was pursuing greater knowledge. The boatman calmly replied, ‘well, in that case, it seems your entire life may go to waste… we are sinking!’

So often, so many of us take undue pride in our qualifications and eventually we deride the know-how of those who may not have certifications such as ours. True knowledge should bring in humility and an open mind towards other learning competencies. Arrogance leads to oversight of our own adequacies.

Learning from books can bring up only so much learning. We need to be better at practical wisdom, too. Of course, scholars would never survive without the handy knowledge possessed by those who toil. After all, earthy wisdom combines knowledge with a useful skill and the right attitude. And the right attitude is one which recognises every competency with the dignity it rightfully deserves.

No lesser are those who own a different proficiency...

Let’s BE BETTER at respecting every competency!

 

Disclaimer: Views expressed above are the author's own.



This is not directly related to your write-up. However many stories tell how simple farmers or artisans are better than book scholars. There may be a bit of truth in this; however, one is not supposed to just read a book and forget, it is an unending job.

By simply reading or I dare say studying, one does not become a learned and intelligent person. To derive full benefit of reading a book one must do what one says in Marathi, 'vaachan, chintan and manan'. Then, based on own intellect, the reader draws full benefit by comparing concepts in what one has read earlier, may be even in entirley fifferent fields, and making a hypothesis, till he moves ahead for other readable material and more concepts. Fibonacchi number sequences were found out by an India Jain monk by connecting metrolgy in poetry with geometry, though the number series itself was made famous by the Italian scientist Fibonacchi who wrote a book 'Liber Abaci'. The Jain monk did not; Indians have always been allergic to documenting, writings...!

 
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Pravin Sabnis

Since the first Monday of 2004, he regularly writes MONDAY MUSE

 

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