Learning More is not a Loss

You know, my father, how I prize your happiness. For, sons and father’s crown each other’s glory with each other’s fame. Then, don’t entrench yourself in your opinion as if everyone else were wrong. The kind of man who always thinks that he is right, that his opinions, his pronouncements, are the final word, when once exposed shows nothing there. But a wise man has much to learn without a loss of dignity.

The Greek tragedy Antigone makes a very valid point here. For, as someone once said, "It is what we learn after we know it all that really counts." There is no loss of dignity in still learning. In fact, a person who pursues knowledge shows wisdom. We value those who take on college courses or further education in their later years. It shows courage. After all we are all, according to Wilde, ignorant (just on different subjects). There are still so many things that I know nothing about and I want to learn all about them. Those things that I do know something about are few. Then with those things (and even with those I know nothing about) I tend to "entrench" myself in my own opinion. That is more than ignorance. That is absolute foolishness.