The More You Learn, The Less You Know

I had a teacher in high school who could speak, or had spoken at one point, 9 different languages. We counted them (all I can remember now is English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Aramaic). But when we asked him how many languages he knew, his answer was always zero. He did not believe he could ever truly know a language because they were such complex, ever-changing, vast collections of human expression.

His candid belief that he did not know any languages struck me as a new way of looking at the world. He was, quite frankly, the best teacher I had ever encountered. He could answer any question I threw at him, and trust me, I asked a lot. Anything that popped into my head, here was an endless fountain of knowledge I could go to. So for him to say that he knew nothing was a concept quite profound.

Since then, the more I experience, the more I believe it's true. The more you learn, the more questions you have, and the more you realize just how little you know. And so it is in Japan. Especially since traveling in Okinawa, it strikes me how very little I know about Japanese culture and history. About Japan! I mean, I've been living here for 8 months, so you'd think I'd know something! But it usually doesn't feel like I do. The islands of Okinawa were ruled by the Ryukyus. Who are the Ryukyus? Where did they come from? Who was here before them? Did they speak Japanese? Did they pay tribute to the Chinese? What about Okinawan music? What time period is that from? Where did the instruments come from? Did they actually drink green tea before the Ryukyus came? And what about sweet potatoes? They're everywhere, but were they introduced to Okinawa? What is this place?!

So many questions! I must drive some people crazy with questions. If I asked all of them, I'd probably be a social bane. And because I feel that I know so little, and because I want to learn more, I feel cheated when someone claims to know something which they don't really know (maybe they only sort of know, or are guessing). Infusing confidence into an uncertain response does not make it closer to the truth. Quoth Socrates: "I appear to be wiser than he, because I do not fancy I know what I do not know." Politicians, especially, are often guilty of this practice.

And so as the new school year begins and I get ready to enter my 2nd year in Japan, my goal is to learn more about Japanese culture. I want to start with religion, because that confuses and interests me. It also seems like it will have a lot of interesting mythology behind it, as well as some insights into Japanese customs and history and holidays and family bonds. It's a pretty important aspect of life, I think.

Also, if you have any suggestions on literature I can or should look into, please suggest away! I'm now the proud owner of a kindle, and so acquiring a new book is simpler than ever, and I'm eager to use it as a way to share books with others without having to ship a book across the world.