Thirsting for Knowledge

I have recently discovered that I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge.  I’ve known this, yes, and in fact two of my “strengths” according to Strengthsfinder are “input” and “learning”. 

Learn something new every day has always been a motto of mine.

          Pumba: What’s a motto?

          Timon: Nothin’ – whats a motto with you?

          Dundun ching!  Thank you, Lion King. And my apologies for the bad joke.  Couldn't resist.

And believe me – every day, living in India, I’m pretty sure that I learn something.  However, the "something" I learn daily isn't necessarily something of intellectual value.  And I hadn’t realized how much I need that in my life!

On Sunday I had a dinner with a delegation from Rollins College.  I happened to sit opposite of an archaeology professor, to whom I confessed that when I was first thinking about college I wanted to study archaeology (still do!).  For the rest of the evening, I sat mesmerized by the stories he told, the research he’s working on.

Did you know that a tribe in northeastern Karnataka (the state in which I live) celebrates its oral tradition and festive culture in a language that is only spoken by 30,000 people in the world?  And where do those 30,000 people live?   Eastern Africa.  Yeah.

I’m hooked.  I’ve always been a world civ girl, but focused more on European history.  So here I go towards the Indus Valley civilizations.  I’m SO intrigued.  How did these people get here?  From what son of Noah did they come?  Why did they travel from the Mediterranean?  Did you know that during the 600s BC there was HUGE trade between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean?  Why didn’t I ever learn about that during world civ?  And that, according to one source, the first Jewish people came to India during the reign of King Darius…the second group coming during the Jewish diaspora after the destruction of the temple in AD 70?

And that, supposedly, Thomas the Apostle (commonly known as Doubting Thomas) was the first “missionary” to come to India with the intent of sharing the Good News with the Jews who had settled here.  I’ve studied the crossroads of civilization.  I’ve studied the Babylon and Assyrian empires.  I’ve studied early Christianity.  I’ve studied the Roman empire and the Jewish diasporas.  Why has India never been included? 

OH.  And did you know that Sanskrit is related to the romance languages.  Yeah.  The most obvious example of this is when we look at the word King (English), Raja (Sanskrit), Rey (Spanish), Roi (French), Re (Italian).  I’m also a lover of linguistics, so I am absolute and completely fascinated.  (Unfortunately Kannada, the Indian language I am learning, is far from Sanskrit – I believe it is a Dravidic language - and absolutely nothing like the Romance languages I have studied in my past.)

A word to the wise: all of my reading and findings have thus far been courtesy of the internet.  So they may not be completely accurate.  But I always try to find opposing viepoints and differing accounts…one of the excitements of being a “Learner”!

So.  Needless to say, increasing my knowledge has brought a lot of joy to my life.  Life to my life, in fact.  And I realize how much learning is really a core piece to who I am.