A Little Learning is Dangerous?

"What is Rooney doing?" asked my mom as I watched Wayne's foul on another player. I immediately turned and looked at her in surprise. She is not much into sports and atleast not football. My mom recognizing one of my favourite players from my fav team was like an achievement for me. The only other player she knew earlier was Drogba :| And by the time I sit down to write this post, she now knows Ronaldo (Christiano) and Lampard too.

Its easier to get influenced by the people around us and in the process learn new things. Football was an alien sport to me. I just knew that the ball goes into the net and thats a goal. I had neither heard about an Lb, Rb, center forward and winger nor did I know what an offside was! But I've been following the game closely and this is my second season [ya, just second! :( ] and learnt a lot about it. Though I'm no football pundit, but know the basic things someone must atleast know. A little knowledge about something is an important step to go further. And now I'm taking long strides to keep going ahead.

However, I've not been much of a learner when it comes to my mother tongue. Malayalam is a foreign language to me even today. The only words I've learned so far are a handful ones which can't even help me to frame a sentence. Some words that my friends have taught me. When people ask me, "How come you don't speak your mother tongue?", I say, "I don't speak Malayalam, but I can manage to converse in Konkani." I assume that qualifies as an answer.

We also learn numerous things unintentionally... like in school- the capitals of countries, world history, the earth's rotation, revolution, etc. Oh no, learning these had an intention- the sole intention of passing in exams and going to the next class. Speaking about educational learnings, I still haven't taken off Pluto from our planetary system. Did I study about Pluto only to be told some 15 years later that it is no more a planet! But considering that I was alloted marks then, it hardly matters to me today.

Apart from these itsy-bitsy things I've (or what I claim to have) learnt, there are so many things I still am willing to learn. Playing the drums, learning many languages, jiving (it'll come in use during family weddings), a lot about what I know a little of... etc. etc. etc. to name a few. (Whether I actually take lessons for these or not is altogether a different question.) Well, so many things on my list but time teaches me to be patient.

I beg to differ with whosoever said that 'A Little Learning is Dangerous'. I don't think that incomplete learning can ever be dangerous... unless you fly a plane thinking you know to but later realise that you haven't learnt to land it yet! Well, now that is dangerous.


Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd.

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
A fatal attraction is holding me fast
How can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earthbound misfit, I

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladen, empty and turned to stone

A soul intention, that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earthbound misfit, I

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night

There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss
Can't keep my mind from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earthbound misfit, I